Post by connie on Jul 26, 2022 15:26:55 GMT -5
Given Up for Dead by Flint Whitlock
While Working on a thread covering the horrific POW experience for those sent to Berga, I came across a 2011 post by our own Floyd Ragsdale leading to a review of this book. Here's the link to Floyd's post: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/1547/thread
and here's the review link he posted, noting that "it's not a pleasant read": www.thejewisheye.com/fw_berga.html
Synopsis:
During World War II, prisoners of war were required by the Geneva Conventions to be treated according to established rules. But in late 1944, when a large number of Americans were captured or surrendered during the Battle of the Bulge and elsewhere, their captors had different plans. Those who were Jewish or from some other "undesirable" ethnic or religious group were separated from their fellow captives and sent to the brutal slave-labor camp at Berga.
Given Up for Dead is the story of their survival. For over three months, the American soldiers worked under brutal, inhuman conditions, building tunnels in a mountainside for the German munitions industry. The prisoners had no protective masks or clothing; were worked for 12 hours per shift with no food, water, or rest; were beaten regularly for the most minor infractions (or none at all); were fed only starvation rations; slept two to a bed in ghastly, lice-infested bunks; and were never allowed a bath or a change of clothing. Of the 350 GIs in the original contingent, 70 of them died within the first two months at Berga; the others struggled to survive in a living nightmare.
As the Allies' front lines moved inexorably closer to Berga, the Nazi guards forced the inmates to endure a death march as a way of keeping them from being liberated; many died along the route. Only the timely arrival of an American armored division at war's end saved them all from certain death.
Strangely, when the war was over, many of the Americans who had survived Berga were required to sign a "security certificate" which forbade them from ever disclosing the details of their imprisonment at Berga. Until recently, the story of what these men endured has been a well-guarded secret.
About the Author:
Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Flint Whitlock is a former U.S. Army officer who served on active duty from 1965 to 1970, including a tour in Vietnam. He has been a military historian since 1986 and is the author of Soldiers on Skis, The Rock of Anzio, and The Fighting First. He is a regular contributor to World War II magazine and WW II History magazine. He is the president of the newly formed Colorado Military History Museum, Inc. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
AMAZON LINK www.amazon.com/Given-Up-Dead-American-Concentration/dp/0465091156
Offers the chance to preview portions to the book
ABE BOOKS: www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Given-Dead-American-GIs-Nazi-Concentration/15421254768/bd
GOOD READS www.goodreads.com/book/show/40731392-given-up-for-dead
LINK TO DISCUSSION BOARD THREAD ON BERGA 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5141/thread
While Working on a thread covering the horrific POW experience for those sent to Berga, I came across a 2011 post by our own Floyd Ragsdale leading to a review of this book. Here's the link to Floyd's post: 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/1547/thread
and here's the review link he posted, noting that "it's not a pleasant read": www.thejewisheye.com/fw_berga.html
Synopsis:
During World War II, prisoners of war were required by the Geneva Conventions to be treated according to established rules. But in late 1944, when a large number of Americans were captured or surrendered during the Battle of the Bulge and elsewhere, their captors had different plans. Those who were Jewish or from some other "undesirable" ethnic or religious group were separated from their fellow captives and sent to the brutal slave-labor camp at Berga.
Given Up for Dead is the story of their survival. For over three months, the American soldiers worked under brutal, inhuman conditions, building tunnels in a mountainside for the German munitions industry. The prisoners had no protective masks or clothing; were worked for 12 hours per shift with no food, water, or rest; were beaten regularly for the most minor infractions (or none at all); were fed only starvation rations; slept two to a bed in ghastly, lice-infested bunks; and were never allowed a bath or a change of clothing. Of the 350 GIs in the original contingent, 70 of them died within the first two months at Berga; the others struggled to survive in a living nightmare.
As the Allies' front lines moved inexorably closer to Berga, the Nazi guards forced the inmates to endure a death march as a way of keeping them from being liberated; many died along the route. Only the timely arrival of an American armored division at war's end saved them all from certain death.
Strangely, when the war was over, many of the Americans who had survived Berga were required to sign a "security certificate" which forbade them from ever disclosing the details of their imprisonment at Berga. Until recently, the story of what these men endured has been a well-guarded secret.
About the Author:
Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Flint Whitlock is a former U.S. Army officer who served on active duty from 1965 to 1970, including a tour in Vietnam. He has been a military historian since 1986 and is the author of Soldiers on Skis, The Rock of Anzio, and The Fighting First. He is a regular contributor to World War II magazine and WW II History magazine. He is the president of the newly formed Colorado Military History Museum, Inc. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
AMAZON LINK www.amazon.com/Given-Up-Dead-American-Concentration/dp/0465091156
Offers the chance to preview portions to the book
ABE BOOKS: www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Given-Dead-American-GIs-Nazi-Concentration/15421254768/bd
GOOD READS www.goodreads.com/book/show/40731392-given-up-for-dead
LINK TO DISCUSSION BOARD THREAD ON BERGA 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/5141/thread