It was 1942. Adolph Hitler and the Nazis were rampaging Europe. Nothing it seemed could save the Jewish population. Many of those Jewish refugees, lucky to make it to America, were eager to serve in the military of their new country.

Before the CIA, there was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). As the war continued, a select few Jewish refugees in the U.S. Army made the heroic and dangerous decision to join the newly established OSS. O'Donnell focuses on several friends - "the Jewish 5"- who are chosen to infiltrate the Third Reich. You may have seen the recent Hollywood film "Inglorious Bastards" with Brad Pitt. Well, this is the true story of these brave Jewish patriots who become spies for the Allies.

The mission is to drop by parachute into the heavily guarded and treacherous Austrian Alps, which is Nazi controlled territory. Think about it. They went back! The "Alpine Redoubt" is where Hitler planned to make his last stand. If the Jewish 5 were captured it meant death. If they survived, perhaps a swift ending of the war was in sight. This meant a possible reunion with family members still in Europe, some of whom were in concentration camps. 'They Dared Return' is a story of revenge, adventure, espionage, and love.

Author Patrick K. O'Donnell is a military historian and the author of five previous books. O'Donnell is the founder of the 'Drop Zone,' an award-winning online oral history web site (www.thedropzone.org).

They Dared Return - The True Story of Jewish Spies behind the Lines in Nazi Germany
by Patrick K. O'Donnell
Da Capo Press

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They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies behind the Lines in Nazi Germany

Review by Scott Acton:
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