cover image Arnhem Lift: A German Jew in the Glider Pilot Regiment

Arnhem Lift: A German Jew in the Glider Pilot Regiment

Louis Hagen. History/Spellmount (U.K.) (IPG, dist.), $18.95 trade paper (144p) ISBN 978-0-7524-6868-6

Originally published in 1945, just a few months after Britain and the U.S. launched the Allied airborne Operation Market Garden to capture bridges across the Rhine, this brief, compelling narrative relates the travails of a German Jewish glider pilot who joined the British army and who took part in that failed mission. Hagen describes being holed up around Arnhem in the Netherlands with his fellow paratroopers and surrounded by enemies, fighting desperately for a week against hopeless odds. Incredibly, despite volunteering for numerous dangerous patrols, Hagen survived the battle without serious wounds and was later personally decorated by the King of England. This new edition of the book is supplemented by a German perspective of the battle, courtesy of a German officer whom the author befriended after the war, and Hagen adds a short description of his subsequent career in the British army and his fascinating return to the battlefield for a 50-year reunion. The author’s background, his direct involvement with many key leaders of the operation, and his lucid descriptions of combat make this a valuable and incredibly entertaining military history. (July)