Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned with the U.S. Army to Fight Hitler Reprint Edition

“This is an extremely informative book on a little-known subject and is highly recommended.” - Journal of America's Military Past

“Unforgettable. ... The ‘Ritchie Boys’ finally get their due. In telling their... story so eloquently, Henderson has done them proud.” - Washington Independent Review of Books (a Favorite Book of 2017)

“[A] mesmerizing account of how frightened boys grew into fearless men... to fight Nazi barbarianism.” - San Antonio Express-News

“[A] sparkling account of young Jewish-German exiles deployed... in the fight against Nazi Germany.” - Politico

“An impressive account. ... Henderson expertly delineates the lives and valor of the Ritchie Boys. ... Filled with gripping stories.” - World War II Magazine

“An important, fascinating story.” - Jewish Review of Books

“Highly compelling. … The Ritchie Boys… are the unsung heroes who saved so many American lives and helped win the war.” - Daily Mail (London)

“Harrowing. ... No small amount of courage was needed for [the Ritchie Boys’] work. ... Their contribution to victory is undeniable.” - New York Post

“Riveting. ... Richly detailed. ... Puts readers alongside the Ritchie Boys in some of the darkest moments of history. ... A spellbinding account of extraordinary men at war.” - USA Today

“Henderson is a skilled storyteller. Sons and Soldiers records concrete acts of courage, commitment, compassion... and, of course, unspeakable cruelty.” - San Francisco Chronicle

“Gripping. … A story of courage and determination, revenge and redemption. … Opens a window into a much-ignored aspect of the war. … A magnificent story, one crying out to be told, and one that is told very well.” - Boston Globe

“A gripping tale of how 2,000 Jews who fled Europe during the Nazi reign returned to that war torn continent, determined to free their homelands from Third Reich tyranny and prevent further atrocities. It is a story of courage and determination, revenge and redemption, grippingly told in a fast-moving narrative. … A history with personality. … Opens a window into a much-ignored aspect of the war. … A magnificent story, one crying out to be told, and one that is told very well.” - Boston Globe

“An inspiring story. ... Fans of Stephen Ambrose and World War II histories will enjoy this look into a little-known aspect of U.S. Army operations.” - Library Journal

“Pays homage to [the Ritchie Boys’] achievements. ... Achieves a rare intimacy, putting readers in foxholes and interrogation rooms. - Forward

“Fascinating. ... Extensively researched.” - Winnipeg Free Press

“A must-read. ... Poignant. ... Henderson is a wonderful storyteller who has written a never-before-told chapter of the Second World War.” - Jewish Book Council

“An irresistible history of the WWII Jewish refugees who returned to Europe to fight the Nazis.” - Newsday

“Sons and Soldiers tells the remarkable story of how 2,000 German-born Jews were able to get the crucial intelligence that saved American lives and helped win World War II. ... The message of their courage and patriotism should not be lost in today’s war on terrorism.” - Leon Panetta, Former Director of the CIA and Former Secretary of Defense

“An inspiring account. … Chronicles how, despite great personal risk if their Jewish identity was discovered, these soldiers were on the front lines in Europe, gathering crucial intelligence.” - Booklist

“A first-rate account of one of the last, great untold stories of World War II.” - Steven P. Remy, author of The Malmedy Massacre

“Sons and Soldiers is the riveting -- and long neglected -- story of Jewish refugees from Nazi barbarism who fought an intensely personal war for America. Bruce Henderson has delivered a fast-paced and rich narrative.” - Douglas Waller, author of Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan

“An invaluable, must-read addition to the canon of important WWII books, about the thousands of European-born American soldiers whose own odysseys were ingrained in the 20th Century’s two most significant narratives: the Holocaust and the Allied war against their families’ oppressors in Nazi Germany.” - Steven Karras, author of The Enemy I Knew: German Jews in the Allied Military in World War II

“An ably researched and written account. ... Henderson does well to humanize the story.” - Publishers Weekly

“A triumph! More than seventy years after World War II ended, historians scramble to unearth a fresh story. With Sons and Soldiers, Bruce Henderson has found one. This gripping account of German Jews who fled their nation only to return as members of an elite U.S. Army unit to help defeat the Nazis, tugs at every emotion.” - John Wukovits, author of Tin Can Titans

“This coming-of-age saga is a story of patriotism and courage unlike any other from World War II. An unforgettable story and a great read, told in Bruce Henderson’s poignant and powerful style.” - Bill Sloan, author of Their Backs Against the Sea

“Bruce Henderson’s Sons and Soldiers artfully evokes the drama of the persecution and flight -- and later, their brave return as soldiers -- of German-born Jewish sons to America, where they found a new home and a divine purpose. More than an enlightening history, it is a stellar addition to the literature of human survival and triumph.” - Colin Heaton, author of The German Aces Speak and The Star of Africa

“Thrilling. ... Gripping. ... An overdue tribute to these unique Americans.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“In a highly readable, often thrilling narrative, prolific nonfiction author Henderson focuses on the members of this elite, 2,000-man unit who escaped from Europe and by one means or another made it to the United States. ... A gripping addition to the literature of the period and an overdue tribute to these unique Americans.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A revelatory work about a group of Jewish men whose World War II journeys are so implausible and heroic it’s difficult to understand why so few of us knew about them before now. A book of fear, flight and almost divine retribution.” - Steve Twomey, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Countdown to Pearl Harbor

After Hitler came to power, some desperate Jewish families were able to send their sons out of Nazi-occupied Europe to America. When the United States entered World War II, these young men returned as U.S. soldiers to fight for their adopted homeland and for the families they had left behind. They did so knowing full well what the Nazis would do to them if they were captured. Known as the Ritchie Boys, they became one of the U.S. Army’s greatest secret weapons, for they possessed a unique mastery of the German language, culture, and psychology, all of which they used as members of elite intelligence teams assigned to every major combat unit in Europe. They interrogated German prisoners of war and collected key tactical intelligence on enemy strength, troop and armored movements, and defensive positions that saved American lives and helped the Allies win the war.

Drawing on original interviews and extensive archival research, Bruce Henderson’s Sons and Soldiers traces the journeys of six of these remarkable young men. It is an epic story of heroism, courage, and patriotism that will not soon be forgotten.