Shallow Graves in Siberia [Paperback]

Michael Krupa (Author), Thomas Lane (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2004

Michael Krupa was born into a poor family in south-west Poland, and in his teens was accepted into a Jesuit seminary. He ran away before taking his final vows and joined the army. Soon afterwards, the German tanks rolled into Poland and easily defeated her antiquated forces - the Polish cavalry were armed with sabres. Krupa survived Hitler's invasion, but was arrested in Soviet-occupied eastern Poland and accused of spying. After enduring torture in Moscow's notorious Lubianka prison, he was sentenced to ten years' corrective labour and deported to the Pechora Gulag. Most prisoners there were worked and starved to death within a year. But Krupa managed again to escape, and in the chaos following the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union made one of the most extraordinary journeys of the war - from Siberia to safety in Afghanistan. Krupa's Jesuit training had given him an inner strength and resilience which enabled him to survive in the face of appalling brutality and cruelty. Luck and the kindness of strangers helped him complete his epic journey to freedom. The story of the suffering inflicted on millions in Stalin's camps has been told before - but Krupa's story is remarkable and uni

Editorial Reviews

Review

"an extraordinary testimony to the strength of the human spirit when it has to contend with beasts in human form. Anyone who still hankers after Stalin's Russia should be made to read it, and repent. The rest of us can read it and admire his strength of heart' - Michael Foot; 'gives an in-depth picture of both the terror and a land at war, where man is desperate for liberty and security in an almost superhuman urge to survive - In Sudock"

About the Author

Michael Krupa was born in Rudnik, near Krakow, and trained to be a Jesuit before joining the 13th regiment of the Polish cavalry in 1937. After his extraordinary exploits during the Second World War he moved to Britain and settled in West Yorkshire, where he still lives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Birlinn Publishers (December 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843410125
• ISBN-13: 978-1843410126
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,629 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Story of one Polish Man's Escape From Siberia and Trek to Freedom, May 23, 2006

By 

M. Krupinsky (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shallow Graves in Siberia (Paperback)

Highly recommended story of personal struggle and survival!

What starts out as one Polish man's journey to find his calling in pre-war Poland, turns into a survival story of epic proportions when in 1939 the Germans and the Soviets invade.

Michael Krupa tells you his amazing and true story of life for a Polish soldier on the run in WWII. He escapes the Germans only to be captured by the Soviets and suspected as a German spy. This may have saved his life because if they knew he was a Polish solder he may have been sent directly to be executed in Katyn Forest along with 20,000 of his fellow soldiers who perished there.

Lubianka prison and the worst of Soviet torture was his destination. Somehow he survived was 'lucky' enough to eventually be sent to Siberia. It is from there that he manages an escape and trek all the way across the Soviet Union to Afghanistan and freedom. UNBELIEVABLE story - I could not put it down!

Shows the best of the Polish spirit to survive despite the worst circumstances. Also suggested reading - The Polish Spirit by Wladyslaw Wojcik - a story of Polish soldier who survives the camps in Siberia and is able to join the Polish 2nd Corp and fight under the British.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Glorious Masterpiece in all the Siberian Memoir Literature!!, March 6, 2008

By 

Aimee Thor "Aimee Thor" (Xenia, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shallow Graves in Siberia (Paperback)

Wow-Michael Krupa's story is utterly amazing in every detail! The fact that he survived a gunshot wound to his head by the evil NKVD, and lived to tell about it is nothing short of miraculous. The power of faith in the loving peasant, Christian couple who nurtured him back to health and helped him escape the clutches of the notorious and brutal Siberian Labor Camps during Stalin's reign of terror is incredible. This is one of those WWII memoirs that will stay with me for the rest of my life! I read it in one day it was so fascinating and absorbed every ounce of my attention. I feel that this book should be read by every student of WWII and those just interested in Siberian labor camps. A PERFECT memoir in every way!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *GREAT ESCAPE STORY*, May 26, 2006

By 

D. Lawson (Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shallow Graves in Siberia (Paperback)

This is truly an amazing story and what is more amazing is that Michael Krupa is now in his 91st year and going strong.
A book you have to read in one sitting, you cannot put it down.