Daring Missions of World War II [Hardcover]

William B. Breuer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471404195 | ISBN-13: 978-0471404194 | Publication Date: March 30, 2001 | Edition: 1

Critical acclaim for William B. Breuer

"A first-class historian."
--Wall Street Journal

For Top Tales of World War II

"As evidenced time and again by the prolific Breuer, WWII continues to be a source of absorbing espionage tales. . . . This is a book for rainy days and long solitary nights by the fire. If there were a genre for cozy nonfiction, this would be the template."
--Publishers Weekly

"A perfect book for the curious and adventure readers and those who love exotic tales and especially history buffs who will be surprised at what they didn't know. Recommended for nearly everyone."
--Kirkus Reviews

For Secret Weapons of World War II

"Rip-roaring tales . . . a delightful addition to the niche that Breuer has so successfully carved out."
--Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Few World War II stories are more gripping than those fought behind enemy lines by spies, underground members and special forces. In this collection, the author brings to light largely unknown stories of behind the scenes bravery and covert activities that helped the Allies win critical victories both on the ground and in the air.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

Few World War II stories are more gripping than those fought behind enemy lines by spies, underground members, and special forces.

In his latest collection, Daring Missions of World War II, popular author and distinguished historian William Breuer brings to light largely unknown stories of behind-the-scenes bravery and covert activities that helped the Allies win critical victories both on the ground and in the air. Here are more than seventy tales of espionage, sabotage, and derring-do, including thrilling accounts of "impossible" rescues, ingenious secret networks, and high-stakes U.S. Ranger missions within enemy territory.

Vivid, fast-paced, and dramatic, Daring Missions of World War II introduces you to the heroes and heroines who risked their lives for victory–and sometimes notoriety. Among those you’ll discover are:

• Lieutenant Colonel Montague R. Chidson, who single-handedly saved Amsterdam’s diamond cache from the Nazis
• General Henri Honoré Giraud, who escaped twice from the Germans–the second time from an "escape-proof" prison
• Mathilde Carré, a.k.a. "La Chatte (the cat)," the only female triple agent of the war
• The Netherlands’ Queen Wilhelmina and her daring rescue from Hitler
• The Kachins, a small mountain tribe in Upper Burma, who helped the United States, Britain, and China dislodge a Japanese stronghold
• A young Ho Chi Minh, who was saved by American medics

Courage. Brillance. Intrigue. Whether you’re a history buff or are simply looking for a thrilling read, Daring Missions of World War II allows you to watch the course of history change–and to meet the extraordinary men and women from all corners of the world who were responsible.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471404195
• ISBN-13: 978-0471404194
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,642,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great short stories, July 17, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daring Missions of World War II (Hardcover)

This wonderful book contains some one hundred (if I counted correctly) little stories of daring-do from the Second World War. Each story is between one and three pages in length, and is told in a fascinating style and tone. These are the stories of men and women, Germans, Italians, Englishmen, Frenchmen, Americans (of Italian, German, Japanese, etc. descent), soldiers and civilians. Just about every phase of the war is covered, and most theatres of action, as well.

These stories are quite fascinating, and the shortness of each story makes this book easy to pick up and put down (important if you have to snatch your reading time where you can get it). My one complaint is that there are no tales of daring missions involving Imperial Japanese or Soviet forces. That said, though, I did enjoy this book, and recommend it to you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Index to Covert Activities in WW II, June 9, 2008

By 

Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daring Missions of World War II (Hardcover)

William B. Breuer wrote 31 other books on military history (p.ii). He dedicates this book to General William C. Westmoreland (Ret.) who "led freedom forces in the Vietnam War with great honor and exceptional proficiency" (p.v). This book has 99 concise stories on covert activities that helped the Allies to win victories on the ground and in the air. Most were spies, some were soldiers caught behind the lines. These stories are grouped into five parts by the course of the war. Some were more important, others are just entertaining. The 'Notes and Sources' has references to books that cover the stories in more detail. The 'Index' has references to the many people named in these stories. They are often "so bizarre or illogical that their telling would have been rejected by Hollywood as implausible - yet they happened" (p.2). The 211 pages allocate about 2 pages for each story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Incorrect Information, February 19, 2011

By 

Suze (PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Daring Missions of World War II (Hardcover)

As a former journalist who is researching many aspects of the European theater, I returned this book because a number of his facts were incorrect. For instance Major Chidson did not work alone in rescuing the Industrial Diamonds. He had the help of Johannes Smit in Amsterdam, Jan Kors Smit (his son from London), William Woltman and Bowerman who was Captain of the destroyer that was placed at their disposal. See the much referenced "Adventure in DIamonds" by David E. Walker. This is worse than what we used to call 'Dim-Sum Journalism'..huge disappointment...