- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: The History Press Ltd; 07 edition (7 July 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0750947004
- ISBN-13: 978-0750947008
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
556,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Countries > Austria
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
This is the compelling story of the 10,000 German and Austrian nationals who fled Nazi persecution to join the British in their fight against Hitler during the Second World War. Most were Jews but a significant number were political opponents of the Nazi regime and so-called 'degenerate artists'. They arrived in Britain between 1933 and 1939, and at the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 became 'enemy aliens'. They volunteered to serve in the British forces, donned the King's uniform, swore allegiance to George VI and became affectionately known as 'the King's most loyal enemy aliens'. This compelling story includes previously unpublished interviews with veterans and an impressive selection of archive photographs, many of which are reproduced for the first time.
About the Author
Helen Fry PhD is an honorary research fellow in the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College, London. During her research for her recent book Jews in North Devon during the Second World War (Halsgrove, 2005), she discovered that one in seven of the German and Austrian refugees who found shelter in Britain prior to 1939 enlisted in the British forces in the Second World War. It was this discovery that set her on the trail of 'The King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens'. Helen is also the author of a number of articles for specialist journals on aspects of Jewish history. She lives in Devon.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A necessary book,
By
This review is from: The King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens: Germans Who Fought for Britain in the Second World War (Hardcover)
This is a well-written and thoroughly researched account of the subject. The individual stories are extremely interesting and give an excellent insight into the many different ways in which these "enemy aliens" assisted the war effort. Their story is not widely known, and the author has to be congratulated on deciding to write the book before it is too late because the people involved are no longer alive. It is to be hoped that a wider public will read this book, which demonstrates how much this country can gain from people who earlier were often referred to as "bloody foreigners". An excellent selection of well-reproduced photographs is included, and not only people interested in the history of Wold War II should read the book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
They had a cause.,
This review is from: The King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens: Germans Who Fought for Britain in the Second World War (Hardcover)
Hele Fry has probably grasped the last opportunity for live interviews with the surviving volunteers who joined HM Forces in order to discharge their gratitude to the nation which had given them refuge and to play their part in the struggle of humanity against inhumanity. Helen Fry has bracketted a very represntative selection of personal accounts of frustrations, tragedies, successes and triumphs with her introduction and personal conclusions. The literature about the second world war could not be called complete without this book. SH Gruber, one who also served.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From enemy alien to loyal warriors,
By
This review is from: The King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens: Germans Who Fought for Britain in the Second World War (Hardcover)
Helen Fry is to be congratulated for her meticulous research into a little known fact of World War 2 and recording her findings for posterity This book chronicles the stories of many Jewish refugees who managed to escape the oppressive Nazi regime before the outbreak of war and found refuge in Great Britain. Most of these people were classified as enemy aliens and interned in 1940 with little or no opportunity for release other than to join the Pioneer Corps of the British army The fact that many young men ultimately chose to transfer to elite fighting regiments is not well known and this book serves to immortalise their bravery, heroics and loyalty to the country that gave them sanctuary in time of need. The accounts of the exploits of individual male and female members of the armed forces are related in easy to read and riveting detail. The book also highlights the enormous value of German speaking military personnel both during and after the end of the war in assisting the British high command in interrogating and bringing to trial many war criminals. The book should be read by the wider community lest they ever forget the devastation and suffering of European Jewry and the memory of those who were able to fight and conquer the evil tyranny of the Nazi regime.
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