Sons and Soldiers

After Hitler came to power, some desperate Jewish families were able to send their sons out of Nazi-occupied Europe to America. When the United States entered World War II, these young men returned as U.S. soldiers to fight for their adopted homeland and for the families they had left behind. They did so knowing full well what the Nazis would do to them if they were captured. Known as the Ritchie Boys, they became one of the U.S. Army’s greatest secret weapons, for they possessed a unique mastery of the German language, culture, and psychology, all of which they used as members of elite intelligence teams assigned to every major combat unit in Europe. They interrogated German prisoners of war and collected key tactical intelligence on enemy strength, troop and armored movements, and defensive positions that saved American lives and helped the Allies win the war.

Drawing on original interviews and extensive archival research, Bruce Henderson’s Sons and Soldiers traces the journeys of six of these remarkable young men. It is an epic story of heroism, courage, and patriotism that will not soon be forgotten.