Where the Hell Have You Been? [Hardcover]

Tom Carver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

In November 1942, two nights after the Battle of El Alamein, a young British army officer was captured. As the Nazis deliberated about what to do with him, Richard Carver had particular reason to be afraid: unknown to anyone, he was the stepson of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the Allied Commander who had just inflicted the first serious defeat on the Third Reich...This gripping story tells of Richard's internment in a POW camp in northern Italy - the same camp made famous by Eric Newby - and of his subsequent escape. Having decided to risk making his way back to Allied HQ in the south, he embarked on a gruelling 500-mile journey through German-occupied territory, evading capture again and again and ultimately being saved by a family of brave Italian peasants who jeopardised not just their own lives but those of an entire village to hide him. In the winter of 1943, a year after he disappeared, he staggered back into Army HQ, to be greeted by his now famous stepfather with the words, 'Where the hell have you been?' This is a great adventure story - a reminder of a lost age when, in the face of terrifying challenges, a generation rose to extraordinary feats of valour in the service of a cause greater than themselves.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An utterly compelling account of how one POW kept his identity secret from the Nazis and evaded capture, relying on the bravery and kindness of strangers. A terrific read." Andy McNab "One man's extraordinary odyssey of escape through wartime Italy: riveting and remarkable." Ben Macintyre, author of Agent Zigzag "Tom Carver's excellent book gives us a better understanding why our most well known World War II General was the complex man he was." General the Lord Guthrie, Chief of the Defence Staff, 1997-2001 "An escape story in the finest English tradition. Beautifully written and poignant to the end - deserves to become an instant classic" David Loyn, BBC Foreign Affairs Correspondent "This account of Monty's step-son's exploits in the Second World War is a gem. It reminds one of the gallantry and devotion to duty of a generation that has nearly left us." Patrick Cordingley, Commander of the Desert Rats, Iraq, 1991

About the Author

Tom Carver was a long-time foreign correspondent with the BBC. He was latterly the BBC's Washington Correspondent and continues to live in Washington working as a writer and consultant. He is the step-grandson of Field Marshal Montgomery.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Short Books (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906021538
• ISBN-13: 978-1906021535
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,432,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back!, December 4, 2009

By 

Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where the Hell Have You Been? (Hardcover)

General Montgomery's reputation is considerably different in Britain and in the United States. As the hero of El Alamein, Monty shines brightly in British annals, but as Alan Brooke has written:

"A difficult mixture to handle, a brilliant commander in action and trainer of men, but liable to commit untold errors in lack of tact, lack of appreciation of other people's outlook. It is most distressing that the Americans do not like him and it will always be a difficult matter to have him fighting in close proximity to them."

War Diaries, 1939-1945: Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke

Eisenhower reflected this dichotomy: "I doubt if Montgomery ever came to realise how resentful some American commanders were. They believed he had belittled them -- and they were not slow to voice reciprocal scorn and contempt". Crusade in Europe

This small but fascinating volume gives a more personal view of the great man. Richard Carver was General Montgomery's stepson, and fought under him at El Alamein. Carver was captured by the Afrika Korps two days after that battle and was in some danger of being sent to Colditz with other prominent Brits if his personal relationship had been discovered. It was never discovered, and Carver was sent to a prison camp in northern Italy, where he and 6,000 other prisoners were released just before the Wehrmacht arrived when Italy left the war in September 1943. (In an interesting side note, British commanders of the camps were ordered to stay put; most complied and were sent on to Germany; but the commander of Carver's unit disobeyed orders and most of the prisoners returned to Allied lines.)

The primary theme of the book is the story of Carver's three month journey on foot from the prison north of Parma to Allied lines south of the Sangro River, 400 miles away. His son Tom writes about his father's adventures: dodging German patrols, sleeping in caves, relying on Italian hospitality, using a home made compass (he made it from a safety pin and a metal coat button) -- altogether a well written and often exciting adventure written from Tom Carver's BBC correspondent's perspective. The book's title comes from Montgomery's first words at their reunion: "Where the hell have you been?"

Tom Carver's book is enlivened by his efforts to find and interview people who had helped his father during his journey and by vignettes about his grandfather. He writes, for example, that Monty's favorite limerick was:

"There was an old soldier from Lyme
Who married three wives at a time
When asked why the third
He said, one's absurd
And bigamy, sir, is a crime."

I really enjoyed this history of a famous man, his stepson and most of all, perhaps, the insights of the author. The interview quoted in the first Comment gives a better flavor of his human insights into a "great man".

Robert C. Ross 2009

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tom and Richard Carver, January 5, 2011

By 

Steven Medved "Steve" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where the Hell Have You Been? (Hardcover)

I enjoyed the book because after reading a number of books about Monty it was interesting to get a more human view of him. What really makes this book is Richard, the stepson of Monty. I appreciate the care that Tom took in writing this book and looking up the people who helped hide Richard after his escape. It was sad that circumstances prevented Richard from visiting the people who had helped him.

If you like reading about WWII you will love this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusual and compelling view of WWII in Italy, May 24, 2010

By 

Elizabeth H. Cottrell "RiverwoodWriter" (Shenandoah Valley, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Where the Hell Have You Been? (Hardcover)

Fascinating book on three levels.

1) The story: The protagonist, Richard Carver, was General Montgomery's step-son. He was captured in northern Africa just as Montgomery was routing Rommel, and he was afraid his identity would be discovered and he'd be used as a pawn against Montgomery. He and fellow prisoners were taken to a prison camp in northern Italy. When Mussolini capitulated and German troops were just miles away and advancing towards them, the German-hating Italian guards cut the fence and released about 600 prisoners. Many never made it home, and the story of Carver's journey south (he decided he couldn't make it across the alps) was fascinating on several levels. At every turn, he was helped by Italian farmers at great risk to them and their families.

2) The research: Author Tom Carver is Richard Carver's son. At the end of his father's life, he began pressing him for information about his war experiences, but the father was both reticent and loath to cast himself in any heroic light. Tom fortunately found journals--his father's and another of a fellow escapee--that helped tremendously. He also interviewed other survivors as well as Italians and their children who had been there.

3) The relationships: between Monty and Richard Carver, between Richard and his son Tom, and between Carver and the Italians who hid and saved him.

I was particularly interested in this because I've never known much about this part of the war. It totally changed my view of the Italians who, in this book, were portrayed as victims of Mussolini's regime and then of the Germans, not enemies.