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The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe
May 1945. Hitler is dead, and the Third Reich little more than smoking rubble. No GI wants to be the last man killed in action against the Germans. But for cigar-chewing, rough-talking, hard-drinking, hard-charging Captain Jack Lee and his men, there is one more mission: rescue fourteen prominent French prisoners held in an SS-guarded castle high in the Austrian Alps. It’s a dangerous mission, but Lee has help from a decorated German Wehrmacht officer and his men, who voluntarily join the fight.
Based on personal memoirs, author interviews, and official American, German, and French histories, The Last Battle is the nearly unbelievable story of the most improbable battle of World War II — a tale of unlikely allies, bravery, cowardice, and desperate combat between implacable enemies.
Based on personal memoirs, author interviews, and official American, German, and French histories, The Last Battle is the nearly unbelievable story of the most improbable battle of World War II — a tale of unlikely allies, bravery, cowardice, and desperate combat between implacable enemies.
223 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2013
About the author
Stephen Harding
8 books19 followersAs a defense journalist Stephen Harding covered the conflicts in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and, most recently, Iraq. The author of seven books and some 300 magazine articles, he specializes in military, aviation and maritime topics."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
June 20, 2022
Another well researched and written book by Stephan Harding (my 3rd), that looks in depth at the Battle of Schloss Itter on the last day of World War 2 in Europe, where a handful of American troops, Wehrmacht soldiers, Austrian resistance member and even a SS officer teamed up to defend French VIP prisoners from being captured and killed by Waffen SS soldiers. It is an incredible story and gives great background on everyone involved in this battle and how they came to be at the castle on that day. It is interesting to see how petty differences almost made the Frenchmen enemies during their captivity, yet ironically, enemies could come together to protect them. The only thing I did not like was how the author tried to go into the head of some of these characters and tried to write what he thought they were thinking. Highly recommended reading if you want something different in your World War 2 library.
January 19, 2023
Printre prizonierii de onoare din castel s-au aflat Reynaud. Daladier, Gamelin si Weygand - liderii politici si militari ai Frantei de la inceputul invaziei germane. Asta a facut povestea si mai interesanta.
October 25, 2013
I wanted to like this book very badly. I was extremely interested in the premise- and the story itself, by the way, is pretty fascinating- but the author brought a terribly dry tone to his writing. I enjoy history books and it is very rare for me to consider them boring. This was a boring book, in spite of its (deeply interesting) subject. People who are reluctant to read history are reluctant because they think all history books are written like this one.
The book gives in-depth biographies to each of the roughly 15 major personages featured, which gets incredibly hard to read after a few pages. These bios halt all action at critical moments and weaken the book for it, though without them I doubt The Last Battle would be half of its current length.
Also, Mr. Harding writes with a historian's dispassion. He just fails to make battle scenes exciting and doesn't give you any "in-the-moment" suspense. That said, he didn't have many primary sources to work with, and was probably reluctant to extrapolate simply for the sake of entertainment. The more primary sources, the more dramatic one can make a historical account, generally- but I still hold that Mr. Harding could have done better.
And if he wrote "die-hard Waffen-SS unit" one more time I was going to scream. He desperatly needed access to a thesaurus.
All that said, the story of Schloss Itter was interesting enough to me that I am reluctant to rate the book lower than three stars. But if you're going to read this, be prepared to steel yourself for boredom.
The book gives in-depth biographies to each of the roughly 15 major personages featured, which gets incredibly hard to read after a few pages. These bios halt all action at critical moments and weaken the book for it, though without them I doubt The Last Battle would be half of its current length.
Also, Mr. Harding writes with a historian's dispassion. He just fails to make battle scenes exciting and doesn't give you any "in-the-moment" suspense. That said, he didn't have many primary sources to work with, and was probably reluctant to extrapolate simply for the sake of entertainment. The more primary sources, the more dramatic one can make a historical account, generally- but I still hold that Mr. Harding could have done better.
And if he wrote "die-hard Waffen-SS unit" one more time I was going to scream. He desperatly needed access to a thesaurus.
All that said, the story of Schloss Itter was interesting enough to me that I am reluctant to rate the book lower than three stars. But if you're going to read this, be prepared to steel yourself for boredom.
August 11, 2022
Illumination of one of the last battles of World War II, the battle of Itter Castle.
The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe tells a story of an unforeseen alliance against the battle-hardened Waffen-SS.
The book focuses on Northern Tyrol's (in Austria) Itter Castle, which served as a prison for VIP prisoners. The prisoners included, among others, Jean Borotra (tennis star who thrice attempted to escape from the castle), Édouard Daladier (former prime minister), Paul Reynaud (also a former prime minister), and Michel Clemenceau (son of Georges Clemenceau). The German officials viewed the prisoners, of French and Belgian heritage, as possible leverage or a small coin if events would turn disadvantageous. In May 1945, fearing the advancing Allied forces, the commandant of the castle abandoned his post, but hostages couldn't leave because of the SS forces nearby. Together, the German garrison and a small U.S. group who came to the rescue defended the besieged castle until the arrival of reinforcement.
Before describing the battle itself, Stephen Harding goes into great detail about the castle's history and traces down biographies of its famous hostages and its garrison's staff. Therefore, the readers see events in little bits, spanning several theatres of war and various time frames, rather than as a coherent narrative. The immediate battle takes only one out of seven hours of the audiobook. The incomplete outline of the events not directly connected with the castle doesn't diminish the fact that the book is generally easy to read (listen to) and enlightening, especially for those who have earlier read about World War II. The book also clearly reveals the human character: some German soldiers preferred to fight till the bitter end (many divisions pushed into Austria by Allied forces were Austrian natives), while others chose dignity in defending unarmed civilians.
I recommend the book to those interested in the history of World War II. Even without the general framework, the book represents an exciting read.
The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe tells a story of an unforeseen alliance against the battle-hardened Waffen-SS.
The book focuses on Northern Tyrol's (in Austria) Itter Castle, which served as a prison for VIP prisoners. The prisoners included, among others, Jean Borotra (tennis star who thrice attempted to escape from the castle), Édouard Daladier (former prime minister), Paul Reynaud (also a former prime minister), and Michel Clemenceau (son of Georges Clemenceau). The German officials viewed the prisoners, of French and Belgian heritage, as possible leverage or a small coin if events would turn disadvantageous. In May 1945, fearing the advancing Allied forces, the commandant of the castle abandoned his post, but hostages couldn't leave because of the SS forces nearby. Together, the German garrison and a small U.S. group who came to the rescue defended the besieged castle until the arrival of reinforcement.
Before describing the battle itself, Stephen Harding goes into great detail about the castle's history and traces down biographies of its famous hostages and its garrison's staff. Therefore, the readers see events in little bits, spanning several theatres of war and various time frames, rather than as a coherent narrative. The immediate battle takes only one out of seven hours of the audiobook. The incomplete outline of the events not directly connected with the castle doesn't diminish the fact that the book is generally easy to read (listen to) and enlightening, especially for those who have earlier read about World War II. The book also clearly reveals the human character: some German soldiers preferred to fight till the bitter end (many divisions pushed into Austria by Allied forces were Austrian natives), while others chose dignity in defending unarmed civilians.
I recommend the book to those interested in the history of World War II. Even without the general framework, the book represents an exciting read.
July 7, 2013
Why haven't I heard of this battle before?
Take ten American GIs, one Sherman tank, fifteen German soldiers, fourteen quarrelsome French dignitaries, a handful of concentration camp survivors, and two hundred execution-minded Nazis; put them together against the backstop of a medieval German castle on last day of fighting in WWII's Europe, and you have the makings for a fantastic screenplay. Stephen Harding is clearly a dedicated historian - his presentation of the facts is well-researched and well-balanced. And that's what this book is: a presentation of facts.
He starts rather slowly, but by the end of the fourth chapter the reader is acquainted with the dynamics which forced these different people together, and their motivations. There are gaps, of course - any attempt to gather research on an event 70 years in the past is going to be difficult - but Harding has done an admirable job not only of poring through existing records, but tracking down and interviewing survivors himself.
I appreciated his ability to create moments of tension embellished by eye-witness descriptions from his interviews. For example: "When the Sherman backed onto the bridge, the span literally started to groan, as the interior metal girders supporting the length of the structure began to bend. Chunks of the stone façade popped out and dropped into the ravine, and hairline cracks opened on the macadam road surface." (p126-127)
The notes are copious and interesting (one of my favorites is the brief account of Major Kramers' attempt to commandeer a villa as a command post only to come face-to-face with it's owner: the composer Richard Strauss).
The Last Battle has all of the elements of a great fictionalized war story - flying bullets, rocket launchers, evil villains, cigar-chomping American heroes, a noble death, and even beautiful women in peril. I'm looking forward to the movie.
Take ten American GIs, one Sherman tank, fifteen German soldiers, fourteen quarrelsome French dignitaries, a handful of concentration camp survivors, and two hundred execution-minded Nazis; put them together against the backstop of a medieval German castle on last day of fighting in WWII's Europe, and you have the makings for a fantastic screenplay. Stephen Harding is clearly a dedicated historian - his presentation of the facts is well-researched and well-balanced. And that's what this book is: a presentation of facts.
He starts rather slowly, but by the end of the fourth chapter the reader is acquainted with the dynamics which forced these different people together, and their motivations. There are gaps, of course - any attempt to gather research on an event 70 years in the past is going to be difficult - but Harding has done an admirable job not only of poring through existing records, but tracking down and interviewing survivors himself.
I appreciated his ability to create moments of tension embellished by eye-witness descriptions from his interviews. For example: "When the Sherman backed onto the bridge, the span literally started to groan, as the interior metal girders supporting the length of the structure began to bend. Chunks of the stone façade popped out and dropped into the ravine, and hairline cracks opened on the macadam road surface." (p126-127)
The notes are copious and interesting (one of my favorites is the brief account of Major Kramers' attempt to commandeer a villa as a command post only to come face-to-face with it's owner: the composer Richard Strauss).
The Last Battle has all of the elements of a great fictionalized war story - flying bullets, rocket launchers, evil villains, cigar-chomping American heroes, a noble death, and even beautiful women in peril. I'm looking forward to the movie.
July 20, 2013
In the weeks after the suicide of Hitler, an end to World War II had not officially been declared. As the Allied forces continued their push into Germany and Austria, they encountered small groups of loyal Nazis who were willing to fight to the death to stop the Allied advance. Unbeknownst to American troops, a small group of French VIP prisoners and their "numbered servants" were being held captive in an old castle in the Austrian Tyrol. This well researched account describes the Allied rescue of these prisoners. What is surprising about the rescue is that they were assisted by Nazi soldiers who were in fact Allied sympathizers. It's an amazing story of bravery and courage. Stephen Harding's meticulous research into the lives and personalities of the captives and their rescuers brings the account to life. Although detailed maps are included, it was still difficult for me to follow the assault on the castle. But the book did bring to light a previously unknown piece of World War II history.
December 26, 2020
One of those lesser known events of WWII, that I'm grateful to come to know about thanks to the efforts of investigative authors. I guess we need to hurry up until these priceless stories are lost to the history and there are still people who can fog the mirror (to use the term from the book) and pass on their legacy.
November 18, 2018
It is said that war consists of long periods of too little happening and a few moments of too many things happening. Such is the case with Stephen Harding’s The Last Battle. Journalist that he is he has found one of the least likely events of World War II and given us a chance to meet the people who lived it. While I tend to agree with those reviewers who felt the buildup was over long and the point of the story delayed. I cannot report this as a negative reading experience. The quality of the writing is more workman like than either scholarly or particularly entertaining, but I enjoyed the read. So four stars, but under advisement.
The normal history of Europe in World War II was that it effectively ended with Hitler’s suicide and that fears of a Nazi redoubt out in the mountains of Austria never really happened. At the 20,000 foot view this is mostly true. Among the exceptions was the Battle over the SS prison castle, Itter.
Castle Itter was a prison for a very mixed bag of high ranking Frenchmen and women. Mixed in the sense that they represented many different political views and included former members of the French Vichy Government. (They did not like each other) That they were allowed to live is itself a story as it is unknown if the German’s intended to use them as bargaining chips in peace negotiations, meaning even Hitler had a plan B. In the 100 or so pages that lead to the battle we get far too many details about each prisoners life leading up to their capture and their arrests and there various prison peregrinations leading to their selection to Castle Itter.
After all the back stories on the castle, the prisoners, the prison commander and then the eventual American/local resistance relief column under Captain Lee we get to the battle.
The selling point of the book is that the war is over. The prisoners are still at risk for their lives. The relief column will include Americans, local Austrian resistance fighters And German soldiers including former (as in up to the day before) SS officers and troops.
Either the improbabilities and ironies of that last paragraph wet your curiosity or this book is not for you.
The normal history of Europe in World War II was that it effectively ended with Hitler’s suicide and that fears of a Nazi redoubt out in the mountains of Austria never really happened. At the 20,000 foot view this is mostly true. Among the exceptions was the Battle over the SS prison castle, Itter.
Castle Itter was a prison for a very mixed bag of high ranking Frenchmen and women. Mixed in the sense that they represented many different political views and included former members of the French Vichy Government. (They did not like each other) That they were allowed to live is itself a story as it is unknown if the German’s intended to use them as bargaining chips in peace negotiations, meaning even Hitler had a plan B. In the 100 or so pages that lead to the battle we get far too many details about each prisoners life leading up to their capture and their arrests and there various prison peregrinations leading to their selection to Castle Itter.
After all the back stories on the castle, the prisoners, the prison commander and then the eventual American/local resistance relief column under Captain Lee we get to the battle.
The selling point of the book is that the war is over. The prisoners are still at risk for their lives. The relief column will include Americans, local Austrian resistance fighters And German soldiers including former (as in up to the day before) SS officers and troops.
Either the improbabilities and ironies of that last paragraph wet your curiosity or this book is not for you.
September 18, 2018
Stephen Harding's The Last Battle chronicles an obscure event that occurred in the closing hours of World War II in Europe, during which a motley band of American soldiers, German defectors, and elderly high-profile French political prisoners were besieged within a medieval Austrian castle by fanatical Waffen-SS Nazis.
The narrative ably conveys the pervasive sense of desperate chaos that reigned throughout the war zone in May of 1945 as Germany's military disintegrated. Harding gives the reader a glimpse of the terror that must have afflicted defenseless civilians as they struggled to survive the depredations of Nazi marauders amid the final spasms of the war.
Overall, the book benefits from the author's careful research, as cited in the thorough endnotes and excellent bibliography. A good balance is achieved between entertaining storytelling and responsible historical reporting. The extensive backstories outlining several of the Frenchmen and the Germans are especially insightful and revealing.
There are two particular aspects, however, which could have been executed better.
The story becomes a bit confused as a result of an excess of personalities. While the people within the castle walls can be mentally differentiated with relative ease, it is more difficult to keep separated the numerous Americans who are introduced as the story progresses. By attempting to focus too intently on the activities of too many disparate groups at once, Harding muddles his account a bit. Dedicating a little less attention toward naming quite so many U.S. Army officers would have created a clearer overall picture.
Conspicuously absent from the supernumerary cast of characters are members of the besieging force. An exhaustive history of a story such as this one ought to include the perspectives of some of the men on the opposing side, or should at least record basic information as to the number of attackers or their command structure. The general anarchy of the German soldiers' circumstances presumably may have precluded this sort of addition to the historical record, although the author is curiously silent on this point. Elsewhere he notes if specific individuals happened to fade away from history or otherwise became untraceable, but he does not make explicit his reasons for omitting from his text the viewpoint of the German attackers.
The book receives four stars here rather than five, due only to the perceived shortcomings described above. The Last Battle is nonetheless a worthwhile read that will appeal to those whose interests include military history, wartime derring-do, World War II in Europe, historical French politics, or Austrian history. It is also fairly short, making for quick, enjoyable reading.
Incidentally, this reviewer first learned of The Last Battle from an installment of the Futility Closet podcast, which offers a riveting overview of the material detailed in the book. That podcast can be heard at the following link:
https://www.futilitycloset.com/2016/1...
The narrative ably conveys the pervasive sense of desperate chaos that reigned throughout the war zone in May of 1945 as Germany's military disintegrated. Harding gives the reader a glimpse of the terror that must have afflicted defenseless civilians as they struggled to survive the depredations of Nazi marauders amid the final spasms of the war.
Overall, the book benefits from the author's careful research, as cited in the thorough endnotes and excellent bibliography. A good balance is achieved between entertaining storytelling and responsible historical reporting. The extensive backstories outlining several of the Frenchmen and the Germans are especially insightful and revealing.
There are two particular aspects, however, which could have been executed better.
The story becomes a bit confused as a result of an excess of personalities. While the people within the castle walls can be mentally differentiated with relative ease, it is more difficult to keep separated the numerous Americans who are introduced as the story progresses. By attempting to focus too intently on the activities of too many disparate groups at once, Harding muddles his account a bit. Dedicating a little less attention toward naming quite so many U.S. Army officers would have created a clearer overall picture.
Conspicuously absent from the supernumerary cast of characters are members of the besieging force. An exhaustive history of a story such as this one ought to include the perspectives of some of the men on the opposing side, or should at least record basic information as to the number of attackers or their command structure. The general anarchy of the German soldiers' circumstances presumably may have precluded this sort of addition to the historical record, although the author is curiously silent on this point. Elsewhere he notes if specific individuals happened to fade away from history or otherwise became untraceable, but he does not make explicit his reasons for omitting from his text the viewpoint of the German attackers.
The book receives four stars here rather than five, due only to the perceived shortcomings described above. The Last Battle is nonetheless a worthwhile read that will appeal to those whose interests include military history, wartime derring-do, World War II in Europe, historical French politics, or Austrian history. It is also fairly short, making for quick, enjoyable reading.
Incidentally, this reviewer first learned of The Last Battle from an installment of the Futility Closet podcast, which offers a riveting overview of the material detailed in the book. That podcast can be heard at the following link:
https://www.futilitycloset.com/2016/1...
June 8, 2014
I happened to watch The Book Thief the night before I read this book. The film was based on a book (which I haven't read so I can't testify as to how closely the film mirrored the book)about a German family who sheltered a Jewish refugee--at least for a time--and sheltered the daughter of a woman who was arrested for being a communist. The Last Battle is about some German soldiers who protected some French prisoners against other German soldiers. The reviews of the book usually report that it is about Wehrmacht troops helping American troops defend prisoners against the SS--but one of the officers defending the prisoners was a member of the Waffen SS himself--so that is not accurate. I do not think this is a minor point. Perhaps the significance of the point was called to my attention because both of these works emphasized the difference between "good" Germans and "bad" Germans. Both of these works appears to have more sympathy and attempts to promote more empathy for the good Germans than the non-German victims. I do not care for that emphasis. One particular aspect of that emphasis is that the Wehrmacht in toto was a victim of the Nazis. Although there were individuals members of the Wehrmacht who were victims of the Nazis, most were willing collaborators, more than collaborators--the Nazis could not have committed the atrocities they did without the help of the Wehrmacht. The Wehrmacht committed many atrocities on their own. I'm just saying, a little less myth-making and little more historical accuracy would be nice.
May 17, 2016
3.5 Stars - A well-researched examination of a very interesting chapter in WWII, one of the very last chapters, in which a medieval castle holding French political prisoners in Austria is captured and defended by a small band of American tankers, local resistance fighters, and friendly German soldiers who have long recognized the folly of their Nazi leaders, all pitted against 200 fanatical Nazi Waffen-SS troops fighting for Hitler to the bitter end and dead set on killing the French prisoners and everyone within the castle. Sounds like a great screenplay, huh? As much as I enjoyed the book, Harding's writing is dry and he tends to drop a lot of historical information on you in bunches, including in-depth backstories of every prisoner in the castle and the major players involved in their rescue, all before things really get underway. The first half of the book moves rather slowly with all of this information, including a confusing amount of names of officers and units involved as the battle draws near, but the last half is where you'll find the action, although there's less of it than I imagined, and I think a stronger author with a bit more flair could have made this short read (170+ pages) a bit more invigorating and lively. Still, it was interesting and enjoyable, and highlights a little known but important event at the very end of a long and bloody war.
February 21, 2015
A unique book about the last-days-of-WWII operation to free six French VIPs (politicians from pre-war days) from an SS-held castle in Austria. Along with sympathetic Wehrmacht (i.e., regular German Army -- not Nazi) soldiers, a small element of the US Army fought a day-long battle against SS troops still loyal to the dead Hitler and the Third Reich.
Not particularly well written though not bad, but recommended for the interested. As many blurbs on the jacket say, this would make a great movie.
Not particularly well written though not bad, but recommended for the interested. As many blurbs on the jacket say, this would make a great movie.
March 6, 2017
A very well researched book about the the almost unbelievable story of one of the strangest battles of WWII. Its the story of unlikely allies at the close of the war; a small group of American Tanker soldiers, some war-tired German soldiers and a group of quarreling French VIP prisoners vs Fanatical Nazi SS troops in the Austrian alps at a medieval castle, Schloss Itter. I could have used some additional maps, but overall, well done.
November 23, 2018
Most of this is back story, the actual battle is actually pretty straight forward. With the right direction it could make for a good WWII movie.
It was short, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth it.
It was short, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth it.
July 3, 2014
In an area of Austria I know very well, the Nazis confined a bunch of squabbling French VIP prisoners (Gamelin, Clemenceau's son, De Gaulle's sister, Weygand, Daladier, Jouhaux) of varying political stripes to a fortified schloss under a crappy SS jailer. Days after Hitler's suicide, with Waffen-SS units wandering the hills and likely to kill the prisoners, messages got out to both a local German army unit as well as an American tank column. Of course they team up with the Austrian resistance and spring the French (who, despite a moment of shooting off machine guns together, continue their spat).
November 10, 2017
3.5 stars
There is a castle in Austria called Schloss Itter. During WWII, there were French VIPs (mostly politicians) who were kept prisoner in Schloss Itter; needless to say, it was a fairly comfortable place to be kept prisoner during the war. When the war was over, though, they needed to be rescued. So, after the war had officially ended, American soldiers came together with a few German soldiers to get the French VIPs out, but there was a battle at the castle before they were able to leave.
This is a story from WWII that I knew nothing about. (Even for all I’ve read, I’m sure there are plenty of lesser-known stories.) It was interesting. In addition to information about the war, the castle, and the battle itself at the castle, there was biographical information about the prisoners, as well as the soldiers who worked together to help out (although, there were a lot of people, so it was still a bit tricky to recall who was who!). I also enjoy biographies, so those parts were some of the most interesting to me in this book, in addition to the battle itself. As a Canadian, I found Rene Levesque’s “cameo” in the book (he appeared later as a journalist) interesting. For the most part, I liked the way this book was written. There were a few dry parts, but mostly I enjoyed it.
There is a castle in Austria called Schloss Itter. During WWII, there were French VIPs (mostly politicians) who were kept prisoner in Schloss Itter; needless to say, it was a fairly comfortable place to be kept prisoner during the war. When the war was over, though, they needed to be rescued. So, after the war had officially ended, American soldiers came together with a few German soldiers to get the French VIPs out, but there was a battle at the castle before they were able to leave.
This is a story from WWII that I knew nothing about. (Even for all I’ve read, I’m sure there are plenty of lesser-known stories.) It was interesting. In addition to information about the war, the castle, and the battle itself at the castle, there was biographical information about the prisoners, as well as the soldiers who worked together to help out (although, there were a lot of people, so it was still a bit tricky to recall who was who!). I also enjoy biographies, so those parts were some of the most interesting to me in this book, in addition to the battle itself. As a Canadian, I found Rene Levesque’s “cameo” in the book (he appeared later as a journalist) interesting. For the most part, I liked the way this book was written. There were a few dry parts, but mostly I enjoyed it.
April 12, 2018
Perhaps the least publicized and most bizarre battle of WWII. During the interim between Hitler's suicide on April 30th, and Nazi Germany's surrender on May 7th, the Nazi Schutzstaffel, or SS, were given orders ranging from eliminating evidence of concentration camps, to executing political prisoners. The Battle of Castle Itter marks the one battle in WWII where US GIs and the German Wermacht, fought together to route a radical company of Waffen SS troops and stop them from executing a number of prisoners in a repurposed Austrian castle turned prison. Overall, this book would make a killer movie, and an important lesson that not all Germans were "evil" just because their dictator was, as the misconception goes. The Nazis were not "Germany", and your standard Heer soldier was not a "Nazi", although you had your fanatics. Would really recommend a read like this for history buffs and anyone who wants to read about one of the more stranger instances in WWII.
February 5, 2020
I gave it four out of five because it is a meticulous book that still has a neat story that is conveyed well. I will say though the first couple of chapters were a bit difficult to get through as Harding went in-depth on each of the French VIP prisoners at Schloss Itter, and it really wasn't necessary. Harding writes military histories, which, though I'm a fan of history, I'm not as used to reading, so a lot of the information on technical specifications and military divisions was a bit lost on me. But the book is still pretty short and the story fascinating that even more casual readers like myself can get a lot out of it.
December 13, 2022
I'm not sure if I chose this because of my interest in exploring WWII, a subject I still know little about, or because I enjoy Joe Barrett as a narrator so much. Turns out to be a plus in both categories. I do love these well-researched accounts of little-known aspects of the war; they satisfy me in ways that bigger histories often don't. Perhaps it's because there's usually enough room to focus on the characters involved and the gritty details. Whatever the case, this is a winner, a great addition to the flourishing WWII genre, with its page-turning account of battles and men.
November 7, 2021
A Review of the Audiobook
Published in 2013 by Blackstone Audio.
Read by Joe Barrett.
Duration: 7 hours, 11 minutes.
Unabridged.
At the very end of World War II there was an extradordinary pairing of German soldiers and American soldiers to protect French dignataries and celebraties being held in an Austrian castle prison.
How late was it in the war? Hitler was already dead. The Allies were well into Germany and Americans had pushed all of the way into Austria.
But, that does not mean that the German military was without power. They had fantastic equipment and there were still plenty of "true believer" SS troops insisting that the war wasn't over - or it it was over, the Allies should pay for every inch of territory until the last German soldier fell.
The unlikely alliance happens when a Austrian-born German officer comes to an agreement with the leaders of the local anti-Nazi resistance movement in Austria. Technically, Austria was a part of Germany but it had only been a part of Germany for 7 years when Germany absorbed independent Austria. It seemed like a popular move at the time, but World War II started about a year and a half later and it had brought disaster and ruin to Austria.
Germany had converted a castle in the Austrian Alps into a prison under the supervision of the Dachau concentration camp. Multiple VIPs from France ended up at Dachau and the German supervisors realized that they couldn't just keep those VIPs in the middle of a death camp. So, they moved them to the castle.
And, some members of the German military thought that...
Read more at:
https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2021...
Published in 2013 by Blackstone Audio.
Read by Joe Barrett.
Duration: 7 hours, 11 minutes.
Unabridged.
At the very end of World War II there was an extradordinary pairing of German soldiers and American soldiers to protect French dignataries and celebraties being held in an Austrian castle prison.
How late was it in the war? Hitler was already dead. The Allies were well into Germany and Americans had pushed all of the way into Austria.
But, that does not mean that the German military was without power. They had fantastic equipment and there were still plenty of "true believer" SS troops insisting that the war wasn't over - or it it was over, the Allies should pay for every inch of territory until the last German soldier fell.
The unlikely alliance happens when a Austrian-born German officer comes to an agreement with the leaders of the local anti-Nazi resistance movement in Austria. Technically, Austria was a part of Germany but it had only been a part of Germany for 7 years when Germany absorbed independent Austria. It seemed like a popular move at the time, but World War II started about a year and a half later and it had brought disaster and ruin to Austria.
Germany had converted a castle in the Austrian Alps into a prison under the supervision of the Dachau concentration camp. Multiple VIPs from France ended up at Dachau and the German supervisors realized that they couldn't just keep those VIPs in the middle of a death camp. So, they moved them to the castle.
And, some members of the German military thought that...
Read more at:
https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2021...
June 4, 2015
The Last Battle is an interesting and true story of the final battle between American and Nazi soldiers during World War II. The part that makes it much more interesting is that Austrian soldiers switched sides to assist the American soldiers in a pitched battle against Nazi hardliners.
This book leads up to the final battle that takes place at an Austrian castle used as a German POW camp for high-profile French prisoners. As World War II comes to a close and the Nazis are near defeat, the camp is vacated by the guards. As American soldiers and anti-Nazi resistance race to rescue the prisoners, many obstacles stand in their way. For the Americans, bureaucracy holds them back time and time again. Some things obviously haven't changed much over the years.
There is a lot of lead-up to the final battle. I found myself bored with a bit of it and somewhat confused about which prisoner was which after awhile. The latter issue might have been the similarity in the sounds of some of the French names and the shear number of prisoners.
Regardless, this was a very interesting read about an unusual battle that I had been completely unaware of. I would love to see this as a film, but would fear Hollywood might butcher it as they often do great literature.
This book leads up to the final battle that takes place at an Austrian castle used as a German POW camp for high-profile French prisoners. As World War II comes to a close and the Nazis are near defeat, the camp is vacated by the guards. As American soldiers and anti-Nazi resistance race to rescue the prisoners, many obstacles stand in their way. For the Americans, bureaucracy holds them back time and time again. Some things obviously haven't changed much over the years.
There is a lot of lead-up to the final battle. I found myself bored with a bit of it and somewhat confused about which prisoner was which after awhile. The latter issue might have been the similarity in the sounds of some of the French names and the shear number of prisoners.
Regardless, this was a very interesting read about an unusual battle that I had been completely unaware of. I would love to see this as a film, but would fear Hollywood might butcher it as they often do great literature.
July 7, 2017
I was fascinated by the subtitle of this book, because I’d never heard of this event before. That’s surprising, then throw in the compelling storyline of Germans and Americans joining together to protect French prisoners in an Austrian castle, and I had to read it! However, I’m hesitant to rate this book higher because the story is dragged down by what seems like excessive contextual and background information. About three quarters of the book is setup for the “last battle.” There were several times when I thought “Kudos to the author for all the research. This is good background for him to do, but I didn’t really need to know it.” This painstaking research was at odds with the multiple times that the author said something to the effect of “We can therefore assume...” I found those assertions troublesome from someone who spent so much time in the historical details. At fear of sounding critical of an experienced author and editorial staff (view this as constructive criticism instead), a strong editor would have been valuable on this book.
March 18, 2019
An amazing story about a siege at the end of the war where an American tank commander and an infantry squad teamed up with a German SS officer and a group of German Wiermark soldiers to rescue French VIPs,(2 prime ministers, 2 generals of the army, a socialist union leader, a famous tennis star and others) in a Austrian castle turned VIP concentration camp against the last gasp of a frantic and still zealot SS army intent on killing the VIPs all after the death of Hitler and the ending of the war.
This is told well with backstories on all participants and a follow up on how they ended up. I wouldn't say this was the best written book but the story is so compelling that the authors lack of finesse is more than made up for by the drama. Worth a read just for the shear novelty of it.
This is told well with backstories on all participants and a follow up on how they ended up. I wouldn't say this was the best written book but the story is so compelling that the authors lack of finesse is more than made up for by the drama. Worth a read just for the shear novelty of it.
January 22, 2019
This book is one of those gems I just happened upon without holding any great expectation about it. The book turned out to be a fascinating vignette of an obscure battle found near the very end of the World War in Europe.
There is so much intriguing about the story, I find it difficult to write about it for fear of spoiling the tale for other readers.
Here is the gist of the story. Schloss Itter is a castle in Austria picked by Himmler to house VIP captives in hopes of being able to trade them for captured Nazi high officials. Some of the VIP captives are ex-French presidents and other French dignitaries.
The story begins toward the very end of the war. Hitler is dead, the German army is in retreat and the American forces are closing in on the last remnants of the Nazi military. The only fight left is the SS troops which are battle hardened and determined to never rrender and to continue taking the fight to the Allies.
It is the story of a remnant of the German army, Austrian resistance fighters and an American tank commander joining an effort to save the VIP’s from certain execution at the hands of the SS troops wandering the Austrian forests.
It is one hell of a tale well told by the author.
October 5, 2017
A good book, but the Author's obvious desire to get a movie made gets in the way of a good solid history. It's good but not exceptional, although some may enjoy the dramatisation. In 1945 in Southern Austria, a group of high value French Hostages/Prisoners are trapped in a Nazi Prison. The Allies want to save them, some retreating Waffen SS might like to kill them, and a handful of German soldiers and Austrian resistance fighters thought they were worth protecting. It's a fun romp, but in trying to write a page-turner, Harding has to cut back in other areas. One of the areas that gets shortchanged is the area of French Politics, a sad thing, as the real story is the personal interplay of French Military/Political giants Clemanceau, Weygand, Reynaud, and Daladier, et al. But the book is effective enough at hitting all the points to be good, just not enough to be great. It is fine for juvenile readers, and will be interesting to Military Enthusiasts/Modelers/Gamers for the myriad of scenario/diorama ideas one can riff out of this book.
December 19, 2022
An interesting story right from the last few days of the war. Totally random Quebec Premier connection too! I enjoyed learning about the soldiers from both sides all at once (along with the French politicians) and found it hilarious how bad the politicians were amongst each other and with the realities of war even though they had lived through it as prisoners for years at that point. Like, come on old men, listen to the soldiers who are telling you not to walk around and get shot!
November 26, 2017
A pretty decent account of a little-known military engagement that united American, German, and partisan forces to protect a group of high-value French prisoners from Nazi troops in the waning hours of the war in Europe. A little too much background on the French, methinks. Much bravery displayed against poor odds, aided by some last minute luck. Overall, a good piece of history.
March 16, 2020
Two thirds of the book describes the lives and events of the VIPs and other players leading up to the battle. Battle is too strong a word. More correct to call it an engagement between an 88 and a Sherman. Short but will add another European castle to your bucket list if you're a lover of history.
The last chapter was dedicated to telling what has become of those involved. They became such things as small business owners and bricklayers. This struck me (as it always does) that when you're looking at an elderly person you're looking at a walking incredible story.
The last chapter was dedicated to telling what has become of those involved. They became such things as small business owners and bricklayers. This struck me (as it always does) that when you're looking at an elderly person you're looking at a walking incredible story.
December 29, 2021
This was a fascinating read. A bizarre story full of interesting people. The very end of WWII was a peculiar in-between time when no one was entirely certain what to do, and that all culminated in this unusual skirmish. A very "truth is stranger than fiction" incident.
June 16, 2017
Super detailed book, very good
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