Return to the Reich, by Eric Lichtblau

It's one thing to have a great story, but it's a whole next level to tell the story well.  Eric Lichtblau tells the unbelievably great story of Fred Mayer in a compelling, highly readable, and well-told narrative.  Fred Mayer's story has been told before but perhaps not as thoroughly and engagingly as Lichtblau's Return to the Reich: A Holocaust Refugee's Secret Mission to Defeat the Nazis. 

After fleeing Germany to the US with his Jewish family, Mayer tried to sign up to fight against the Nazis.  Once he told the military recruiter he was born in Germany, they sent him home to Brooklyn.  After the US entered the war, the military was a bit more desperate for recruits and Mayer joined the Navy.  He native German tongue and familiarity with his home country got him a look by a new group, the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the CIA.  After a lot of training and waiting around, Mayer returned to Europe, parachuting behind enemy lines on a mission to infiltrate the Nazi's stronghold in Austria.

Mayer's heroism was matched by his unflappable nature.  He was willing to pose as a German prisoner in a POW camp, impersonate a Nazi officer in Nazi territory, and endure torturous interrogation without breaking.  Return to the Reich is a great reminder that while mass troop movements and massive efforts like D-Day were obviously crucial, small moves by small groups of people like Mayer and his team also had the capacity to turn the course of the war.

It's also a reminder of how personal World War 2 was for many.  Mayer disavowed Germany as a result of the treatment he and his family and Jews throughout the Reich received.  About Mayer's return, Lichtblau writes, "He could still remember the pain in his father's face that day aboard the SS Manhattan seven years earlier, as they were fleeing Germany, when they learned that Hitler had taken over Austria.  Now here he was, dropping into that very place to try to help free it from the Nazis."  This is a great read about a great hero.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!