In the Shadow of the Swastika [Hardcover]

Hermann Wygoda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

 

He was known first as a Warsaw ghetto smuggler, then as Comandante Enrico. He traveled under false identity papers and worked at a German border patrol station. Throughout the years of the Holocaust, Hermann Wygoda lived a life of narrow escapes, daring masquerades, and battles that almost defy reason.

 

Unique among Holocaust memoirs, In the Shadow of the Swastika, now in paperback, celebrates the memory of a man who received decorations from three Western powers and who, years later, was honored posthumously by the Italian city he helped to liberate.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

 

"Wygoda's memoir supplies fresh evidence concerning the lives of the Jews who passed as Gentiles during the Holocaust. Highly recommended."—Choice

 

"This vivid memoir . . . is a testament to the courage of an extraordinary man."--Booklist

 

"The courage and altruism of Hermann Wygoda place him in the pantheon of inspirational Jewish heroes of the Holocaust."--American Jewish Congress Monthly

 

"How does a Polish Jew become an Italian hero? The story of Hermann Wygoda, who fought Nazis as the commander of an Italian partisan brigade, would read as a fanciful tale had it not been documented by scores of independent sources."--Jerusalem Post

 

"An almost unbelievable story of courage and opportunity. Wygoda shows us a side of the Holocaust years we seldom get to see."--Reform Judaism

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

 

Hermann Wygoda was a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust. He kept a journal of his experiences in the mountains of northern Italy. Mark Wygoda is a professor and head of the biology and health sciences department at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Michael Berenbaum, a prolific writer, lecturer, and teacher on the Holocaust, is a professor of Jewish studies and the director of the Sigi Ziering Institute at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, and he formerly served as president and CEO of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation in Los Angeles.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; First edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 025202382X
• ISBN-13: 978-0252023828
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,457,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Man of Indomitable Will, March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Swastika (Hardcover)

I would like to share what my father, Harry L. Meyer, a B-17 radio operator during WW II, recently wrote me about this book (with his permission): " In the Shadow of the Swastika" is fascinating reading about the exploits of a remarkable individual. Hermann Wygoda was a man of indomitable will who was blessed with courage, ingenuity, resilience and, by his own admission, occasional good fortune which allowed him to escape some desparate circumstances. The horrendous conditions wrought by the ruthless Nazi regime in Poland and wherever it came into power is the stuff of an appalling nightmare. For a man of his ethnic persuasion to escape the suffocating death trap the Nazis created borders on the miraculous. To do so and ultimately become a respected leader of a heroic partisan resistance movement is the material of legends. His normal disposition was not to be a warrior, for I believe by nature and cultural influence he was philosophic, altruistic and tolerant. This is manifested in his just dealings with others even in the trying and dehumanizing conditions of war. I respect him for not passively submitting to his tormentors, but opposing them with determination and fortitude, thereby helping in no small way to defeat them. When the fabric of a decent society is threatened by the forces of an unconscionable tyrrany, it is to be hoped that individuals like Hermann Wygoda will always be there to oppose them. I have always been proud of my combat service in WW II, but by reading works such as this which so graphically portray the consummate evil of a regime that operated outside the scope of human decency, I am more proud than ever to have contributed in some measure to destroy it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing true-life adventure., October 25, 1998

By 

WD Grissom (Cabot, Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Swastika (Hardcover)

If Wygoda's story wasn't documented, you wouldn't believe it.
"Audacity", he said, "is a prerequisite for survival", and Wygoda had plenty. Escaping occupied Poland, actually travelling into Germany to work under the noses of the Nazis (even those who could "smell a Jew"), and eventually commanding a division of Italian partisans, the author exhibited a rare courage and determination that earned awards from three Allied nations.
His story, written in later life for his children, is recommended for WWII readers, Holocaust students, and anyone else who enjoys true-life action adventures.(The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awe Inspiring, March 16, 2006

By 

Kelly M. Lowe (Lake Charles, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Swastika (Paperback)

"One of the best stories I have ever read." This is an eye witness account of an able bodied Jewish man who decided not to give up without a fight. Despite terrible personal loss he fought back, and helped many people along the way. It is extremely hard to write a review of such an unbelievable story. There don't seem to be any words to do it justice. The story tells a side of the war many people never hear about. It explains through Wygoda's experiences what the war was like for Jews from the very beginning. Why so many Jews didn't fight back, and how the Nazi's got them into those horrible death camps. I have personally thanked Hermann Wygoda's family for letting the world know him, and his unbelieveable story.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who does not believe that one man can make a difference in the world.

Kelly Mallett Lowe