Dr. Mark Felton offers readers the little known story of US Soldiers that were captured and placed in a Concentration Camp after the Battle of the Bulge. The material is presented concisely and because it is history being related it can seem a bit slow at times. I appreciated the slowness, as the information is graphic and frequently disturbing. What was not disturbing, but heartening, was the comradery and bonds among the prisoners. Their treatment was inhumane, their will to survive strong, and their escape inevitable. What a testimony to humanity and the spirit of those men.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

AUTHOR

Mark Felton has a PhD in history from the University of Essex. He has authored numerous publications and maintains two YouTube Channels. You can find him on his official website here. If you are interested in his YouTube channels, you can find WWII history here, and his War Stories here. Mark’s twitter page is @mpfelton. If you are looking for more information on Mark Felton you can try his Wilkipedia page here.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys non-fiction stories of WWII. History buffs, students, teachers, and anyone else who likes to read historic accounts of the soldiers who fought in the European theatre will truly enjoy reading this work.


SYNOPSIS

Operation Swallow: American Soldiers' Remarkable Escape from Berga Concentration Camp is the story of U.S. soldiers captured during the Battle of the Bulge and taken to “Berga an der Elster,” a German concentration camp. These soldiers were forced into hard labor by the Germans to aid in their warfighting machine. The deprivation, malnutrition, torture, and forced labor killed many POW’s. Forced to dig whether they were ill or not, beaten if they didn’t or couldn’t meet expectations, these men suffered at the hands of their captors. The bond between the soldiers and loyalty they shared were essential in the escape attempts.

Mark Felton weaves a compelling tale from official documents, eye witness accounts, and personal testimonies. He tells the story in the words of those who were actually there and experienced the brutality and hardships first hand.



CONCLUSION

Operation Swallow is a no-holds-bar true life story of just one facet in WWII. Imagine this story multiplied across all the concentration camps run by the Germans and the scale of the atrocities is astronomical. Mark does a great job bringing this story to light and giving these soldiers who suffered at the hands of the Germans a voice. I definitely recommend this book.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Mark Felton, NetGalley, and Center Street for affording me the opportunity to review Operation Swallow: American Soldiers' Remarkable Escape from Berga Concentration Camp.

This was a good read. Informative. A little too dry for me for a reason that it was all based too strictly on information more than storyline. For a history buff this would be a good read. Men will definitely love it. It was interesting to read this book but I would not read it again due to the heavy contest.