Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #248899 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 212 pages

Synopsis
The heart-rending story of a German of liberal Jewish descent who was one of the last to escape to England under the Kindertransport scheme where he first made army uniforms, fire watching in London during the Blitz. Joining the army he fought his own countrymen in the Royal Tank Regiment. He describes his life in Germany under the Nazis, life in action with the Desert Rats as a wireless operator in a Firefly tank from the Normandy beaches to Hamburg, surviving the loss of four tanks on the way, and his life with the British and Russian occupation forces, in the devastated city of Berlin after the war.

Customer Reviews

Incredible - this story must be read
I chanced upon this book while searching for non-fiction and can only describe it as absolutely unmissable. I read it in one sitting as I was unable to put it down from the moment I began reading it.

This is an extremely emotive, incredible autobiography, and puts to shame the young celebrity "authors" (a la Wayne Rooney & David Beckham) who have done nothing remotely significant in their short lives other than be fortunate enough to get into the public eye.

The author manages to instil an element of perspective into the reader that is unparalleled - one can't help but see so clearly that day to day annoyances we think of as problems are nothing more than small challenges we should overcome without even a second thought in comparison to the life-changing and life-threatening events in this book.

I only have two concerns: firstly, that this story may not be read by the number of people who it deserves attention from (which is absolutely everyone), and secondly, I am getting very impatient waiting for the next installment in the author's life to be published!

One of the most touching stories I have ever read.

5 star story
What an interesting gentleman Ken Ward is. From the moment I opened up the book and started reading I was catapulted into another time. It's a highly emotive story that takes you into Ken's family realm and gives you a great insight into how his life has been mapped out through a variety of circumstances both inside and outside of his control. Many families perished and many loved ones were lost, this is an honest true account of one gentleman's life and I'm glad that Ken took the opportunity to write about his encounters. I don't personally know the author, but I'm sure that each of us would want a "Ken Ward" in our lives. I look forward to reading his next book and would highly recommend this one. Review completed by Jacqueline Williams

A personal account of how the war affected a Jewish family
This is a personal account of how WW2 affected a Jewish family and the life of one man. It is hard to get a true understanding of what the war truly did to families from reading only historical accounts which tend to be so impersonal.
The book's rather matter-of-fact tone makes for a very compelling story and highlights Mr Ward's courage in the face of such adversity before and during the war.
I highly recommend this book.