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The story opens in the stinking latrines of the Schubin camp as an American and a Canadian lead the digging of a tunnel which enabled a break involving 36 prisoners of war (POWs) . The Germans then converted the camp to Oflag 64, to exclusively hold US Army officers, with more than 1500 Americans ultimately housed there. Plucky Americans attempted a variety of escapes until January, 1945, only to be thwarted every time.Then, with the Red Army advancing closer every day, camp commandant Colonel Fritz Schneider received orders from Berlin to march his prisoners west. Game on! Over the next few days, 250 US Army officers would succeed in escaping east to link up with the Russians - although they would prove almost as dangerous as the Nazis - only to be ordered once they arrived back in the United States not to talk about their adventures. Within months, General Patton would launch a bloody bid to rescue the remaining Schubin Americans.In The Big Break, this previously untold story follows POWs including General Eisenhower's personal aide, General Patton's son-in-law, and Ernest Hemingway's eldest son as they struggled to be free. Military historian and Paul Brickhill biographer Stephen Dando-Collins expertly chronicles this gripping story of Americans determined to be free, brave Poles risking their lives to help them, and dogmatic Nazis determined to stop them.



About the Author

Stephen Dando-Collins

Stephen Dando-Collins won the Silver Award for Biography in the 2020 Indie Awards in the US for CYRUS THE GREAT; He is the award-winning author of 45 books, including biographies, works on ancient and modern history, and children's novels. The majority of his works deal with military history ranging from Greek, Persian and Roman times to American, British and Australian 19th century history and World War I and World War II. Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Albanian and Korean. He has also won and been shortlisted for several literary awards in his native Australia. Considered an authority on the legions of ancient Rome, his 2010 book LEGIONS OF ROME has been called the definitive work on Rome's imperial legions, and was the culmination of decades of research into the individual legions. With all his books, Dando-Collins aims to travel roads that others have not, unearthing new facts and opening new perspectives on often forgotten or overlooked people and aspects of history. In 2021 he has two new releases on Roman history, CONQUERING JERUSALEM: The Roman Campaign to Crush the AD 66-73 Jewish Revolt, and CONSTANTINE AT THE BRIDGE: How the Battle of the Milvian Bridge Created Christian Rome, both published in the US and UK by Turner Publishing.



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