The Nazi Hunters

The Nazi Hunters - Damien Lewis ****

I have read a number of true Word War 2 stories, from accounts of escapes to secret missions and eyewitness accounts of the atrocities. Although I am primarily a fiction reader, as long as the author manages to convince me of the exploits and also maintain my interest then I am willing to sit down and give their books a go. I had never heard of Damien Lewis before I picked this book up, but it seems that he has a few books out and most have received good reviews.

What is about?
In a nutshell it covers the adventures of a number of SAS that were parachuted into the Vosges mountain. Their mission was to disrupt the enemy as much as possible so that vital resources of Hitler’s armies could be wasted, show more allowing the advance of the allied troops. They encounter a number of unexpected complications and setbacks. However, despite the Nazi’s best efforts and the capture of nearly half of their colleagues they manage to pull off a number of ingenious assaults and ambushes. The book is very well researched and doesn’t just deal with the events of the day but show’s how the men in charge of the operation then went on to hunt down and bring the justice those responsible for war crimes.

What did I like?
The book is written is such a way that the reader feels they are actually reading a novel, the author doesn’t drag you down with umpteen facts and figures and goes into more than enough detail to keep you interested without losing your attention.

What didn’t I like?
At times there was just a bit too much repetition at times, but I suppose that goes with the territory of telling a factual tale from a number of viewpoints and timelines.

Would I recommend?
Yes, there is more than enough variety for most readers here, whether you tend to just normally read fact or fiction. As I said, the author knows how to spin a tale well enough to keep you rolling along, without losing you in a myriad of figures and dates. show less

Historical account of the SAS, a secret group of commandos formed by Winston Churchill (Secret Air Service). Their primary effort during the war was to get supplies behind enemy lines, usually by parachuting. This often involved the Maquis, a secret French resistance group composed mostly of young men who had escaped STO (Nazi compulsory labor service). Following WWII they were to be disbanded. However, they were not actually disbanded and became covert Nazi hunters, looking for those who had escaped the trials at Nuremberg. The first half of the book involved me doing a lot of name and place researching as I couldn't understand the French pronunciations in the audiobook. The second half of the book seemed to drag with endless show more repetition of efforts to bring Holocaust perpetrators to justice. 12 hours 51 minutes (441 pages) show less

Summer 1944 80 SAS went behind German lines to work with the French Resistance and found a Panzer Division waiting. At war's end 31 were listed as missing as were 1,000 villagers from Moussey, France. The SAS was officially disbanded in 1945. Colonel Brian Franks promised the families he would find the missing. He created a secret SAS unit to find them and hunt down for those responsible for their deaths with the support of Winston Churchill and a black budget.

Another piece of the endless stories from WWII. Great book. Full of interesting facts and information.

La unidad clandestina tras los criminales de guerra nazis.