Synopses & Reviews
A New York Times BestsellerA dramatic, intimate narrative of how Ford Motor Company went from making automobiles to producing the airplanes that would mean the difference between winning and losing World War II. and#160; In 1941, as Hitlerand#8217;s threat loomed ever larger, President Roosevelt realized he needed weaponry to fight the Nazisand#8212;most important, airplanesand#8212;and he needed them fast. So he turned to Detroit and the auto industry for help.
The Arsenal of Democracy tells the incredible story of how Detroit answered the call, centering on Henry Ford and his tortured son Edsel, who, when asked if they could deliver 50,000 airplanes, made an outrageous claim: Ford Motor Company would erect a plant that could yield a and#8220;bomber an hour.and#8221; Critics scoffed: Ford didnand#8217;t make planes; they made simple, affordable cars. But bucking his fatherand#8217;s resistance, Edsel charged ahead.and#160;Ford would apply assembly-line production to the American militaryand#8217;s largest, fastest, most destructive bomber; they would build a plant vast in size and ambition on a plot of farmland and call it Willow Run; they would bring in tens of thousands of workers from across the country, transforming Detroit, almost overnight, from Motor City to the and#8220;great arsenal of democracy.and#8221; And eventually they would help the Allies win the war.
Drawing on exhaustive research from the Ford Archives, the National Archives, and the FDR Library, A. J. Baime has crafted an enthralling, character-driven narrative of American innovation that has never been fully told, leaving readers with a vivid new portrait of Americaand#8212;and Detroitand#8212;during the war.
Review
"The daring rescue effort to save hundreds of downed airmen in dangerous enemy territory is an amazing but unknown WWII adventure story. Told in riveting detail for the first time, The Forgotten 500 is a tale of unsung heroes who went above and beyond."
-- James Bradley, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys
"Gregory A. Freeman has written a riveting account of the greatest escape during World War II. It is a remarkable adventure story of courage and daring that is superbly told."
-- Tony Zinni, General, USMC (Ret.)
"Gregory A. Freeman's The Forgotten 500 is a literary and journalistic achievement of the highest order, a book that illuminates, thrills, and reminds us that heroes sometimes do live among us. It will take your breath away."
-- Gregg Olsen, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Mining Town
"This is an exciting, powerful story of escape and rescue. It has been buried for too long..."
-- Tony Koltz, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Battle for Peace
"A gripping, true-life narrative of one of the most heroic and inspiring-but virtually unknown-military operations of World War II . . . Freeman chronicles it with a master's touch for detail. Although this book reads like a fast-paced novel, it is based on scores of probing interviews and meticulous archival research. The Forgotten 500 is destined to become required reading for serious students of the Second World War."
-- Malcolm McConnell, #1 New York Times Bestselling Coauthor of American Soldier
"A breathtaking popular account."
-- Booklist
Review
and#8220;All the elements of a great spy thriller.and#8221;and#8212;Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi, bestselling authors of
The Monster of Florence and#8220;Reads like a thriller . . . As timely as it is chilling and engrossing.and#8221;and#8212;#1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz
and#8220;Selbyand#8217;s account, of the soulless Nazi fanatics who slithered about the ruins of Germany seeking not survival but resurgence and restoration, unfolds as if in real time, vivid and chilling.and#8221;and#8212;Hugh Ambrose, author of The Pacific
and#8220;Astonishing . . . An authentic tour de force, done with great skill and accuracy.and#8221;and#8212;Bevin Alexander, author of Inside the Nazi War Machine
and#8220;An entertaining account of a last-gasp Nazi effort . . . Readers will enjoy Selbyand#8217;s account of a hitherto-obscure Nazi plot and the energetic counterintelligence that foiled it.and#8221;and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Review
andquot;A.J. Baimeandrsquo;s prose is an amazing magic lantern shining through the flawed, frustrating and mesmerizing lives of an epic cast of characters; FDR; the anti-semitic Henry Ford; his gargoyle of a henchman Harry Bennett; the workers who would become Americaandrsquo;s middle class; and, as well, Henryandrsquo;s tragic son, Edsel, who lost his health and, ultimately, his life, trying to make good on his promise to deliver a andquot;bomber an hourandquot; during WWII. This is captivating history told at its most intimate level of detail; at the same time, Baimeandrsquo;s scope is grand and humane, even when he is bringing to life the most inhumane of people or moments. An engrossing, highly researched page-turner.andquot;
andmdash;Doug Stanton, author of In Harmandrsquo;s Way and Horse Soldiers
andquot;When you talk the history of Detroit, itand#39;s usually the stuff about beavers, the Model T, the and#39;57 Chevy, the and#39;67 riots and bankruptcy. But what A.J. Baime has done with a precise and entertaining pen is resurrect Detroitand#39;s most important era - WWII - and the obscure and tortured man who may have saved the world.andquot;
andmdash;Charlie LeDuff, author of Detroit: An American Autopsy
andquot;Wars are fought on many fronts, and A.J. Baime chronicles this little known, but terrifically important battle to build Americaand#39;s bomber force with narrative zest and delicious detail. Put simply, itand#39;s a great read.andquot;
andmdash;Neal Bascomb, bestselling author of Hunting Eichmann and The Perfect Mile
andquot;Fast-moving and rich with detail, Baimeand#39;s book shows how the Fords worked a World War II miracle with rivets and steel. Engrossing.andquot;
andmdash;Stephan Talty, author of Agent Garbo and Empire of Blue Water
andquot;A.J. Baime has a great way of telling a story. We didnand#39;t just win World War II because we had the best soldiers.We did it because we could build airplanes literally faster than the Germans could shoot them down. An exciting read.andquot;
andmdash;Jay Leno
andldquo;[Edsel Ford] has deserved a better legacy, and A.J. Baime has given it to him . . . The Arsenal of Democracyand#160; is a touching and absorbing portrait of one of the forgotten heroes of World War II . . . A.J. Baime has given us a memorable portrait not just of an industry going to war but of a remarkable figure who helped to make victory possible.andrdquo;
andmdash;Wall Street Journal
andquot;Accessible, surprising history . . . Forthright and absorbing.andquot;
andmdash;Publishers Weekly
andquot;A.J. Baime has a gift for taking stories about cars and turning them into epic tales of man and his machine versus other man and his machineandhellip; The Arsenal of Democracy shows how capitalism and the American spirit really won WWII. Youandrsquo;ll never look at Detroit or our flag the same again.andquot;
andmdash;Inked
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and#160;
and#160;
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Review
"Snappy and cinematic,
Beyond the Call is a gift, an untold story from those last days of WWII in Europe when the unthinkable became realand#8212;when our ally had turned against us, when our POWs were left to die, and when a veteran pilot would receive a harrowing final missionand#8212;to fly against the might of the Soviet Union." -Adam Makos,
New York Times bestselling author of
A Higher Call
"Vivid and engaging, Beyond the Call is partly a story one officer's guile and bravery in the face of forces much larger and more powerful than himself. But is also a moving and appalling tale of the full horror of World War II's last year on the eastern front."and#8212;Randall Hansen, author of Fire and Fury and Disobeying Hitler
and#8220;Beyond the Call is the brilliantly told, fast-paced true story of a remarkable young man. Deceived by his superior officers he found himself in a place where danger abounded and life was cheap but, drawing on a courage he hadnand#8217;t known he possessed, he began his assignment. Nerve-wracking, informative, yet profoundly moving, Beyond the Call is a truly inspiring book.and#8221;and#8212;Susan Ottaway, author of Sisters, Secrets, and Sacrifice
Synopsis
Now in paperback the "amazing"( James Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of Flags of Our Fathers) never-before-told story of the greatest escape of the Second World War.
In 1944 the OSS set out to recover more than 500 downed airmen trapped behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. Classified for over half a century for political reasons, the full account of this unforgettable story of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and bravery is now being told for the first time.
Synopsis
Berlin, 1945: Artur Axmannand#151;a trusted member of Hitlerand#8217;s inner circle and leader of the Hitler Youthand#151;witnesses the Fand#252;hrer commit suicide.
But he would not let the Reich die with its leader . . .
Evading capture, and with access to remnants of the regimeand#8217;s wealth, Axmann had enough followers to reestablish the Nazi party in the very heart of Allied-occupied Germanyand#151;and position himself to become dictator of a Fourth Reich.
U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps Officer Jack Hunter was the perfect undercover operative. Fluent in German, he posed as a black marketeer to root out Nazi sympathizers and saboteurs after the war, and along with other CIC agents uncovered the extent of Axmannand#8217;s conspiracy. It threatened to bring the Nazis back into powerand#151;and the task fell to Hunter and his team to stop it.
The Axmann Conspiracy is the true story of the Nazi threat that continued in the wake of World War II, the espionage that defeated it, and two fascinating men whose lives forever altered the course of history.
INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS AND MAPS
Synopsis
The story of the dramatic transformation of Detroit from "motortown" to the "arsenal of democracy," featuring Edsel Ford, who rebelled against his pacifist father, Henry Ford, to build the industrial miracle Willow Run, a manufacturing complex capable ofand#160;producing B-24 Liberator bombers at a rate of one per hourand#8212;a crucial component in winning the war.
Synopsis
Near the end of World War II, thousands of Allied ex-POWs were abandoned to wander the war-torn Eastern Front, modern day Ukraine. With no food, shelter, or supplies, they were an army of dying men.
The Red Army had pushed the Nazis out of Russia. As they advanced across Poland, the prison camps of the Third Reich were discovered and liberated. In defiance of humanity, the freed Allied prisoners were discarded without aid. The Soviets viewed POWs as cowards, and regarded all refugees as potential spies or partisans.
The United States repeatedly offered to help recover their POWs, but were refused. With relations between the allies strained, a plan was conceived for an undercover rescue mission. In total secrecy, the OSS chose an obscure American air force detachment stationed at a Ukrainian airfield; it would provide the base and the cover for the operation. The man they picked to undertake it was veteran 8th Air Force bomber pilot Captain Robert Trimble.
With little covert training, already scarred by the trials of combat, Trimble took the mission. He would survive by wit, courage, and a determination to do some good in a terrible war. Alone he faced up to the terrifying Soviet secret police, saving hundreds of lives. At the same time he battled to come to terms with the trauma of war and find his own way home to his wife and child.
One ordinary man. One extraordinary mission. A thousand lives at stake.
This is the compelling, inspiring true story of an American hero who laid his life on the line to bring his fellow men home to safety and freedom.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
About the Author
Lee Trimble was born in 1950, the son of Captain Robert M. Trimble. He was educated in science and technology at Pennsylvania State University and received an MS at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. He worked in research and development on lasers, electronics, and semiconductors, and has been a scientific writer and reviewer for various scholarly and professional journals. He has lately retired from the tech world, and works rehabilitating problem dogs, including work in conjunction with SPCA International and the U.S. military on and#147;Operation Baghdad Pups.and#8221;
Jeremy Dronfield is a multi-faceted writer, biographer, and novelist, with a special interest in WWII aviation. He began in archaeology, gaining his PhD at Cambridge University. In 1997 his debut novel, The Locust Farm, was a bestseller in the United Kingdom. He is also the author of Resurrecting Salvador, Burning Blue (a novel about the experiences of a U.S. pilot in WWII), and the critically acclaimed The Alchemistand#8217;s Apprentice. He is also coauthor of several historical biographies, including one about the life of the Russian spy Moura Budberg.
Table of Contents
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Introductionand#8195;xi
and#160; and#160; Prologueand#8195;xiii
PART I. The Motor City
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;1.and#160;Henryand#8195;3
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;2.and#160;The Machine Is the New Messiahand#8195;9
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;3.and#160;Edseland#8195;16
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;4.and#160;Learning to Flyand#8195;23
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;5.and#160;Father vs. Sonand#8195;31
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;6.and#160;The Ford Terrorand#8195;39
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;7.and#160;The Nazi Connectionand#8195;50
PART II. The Liberator
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;8.and#160;Fifty Thousand Airplanesand#8195;65
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;9.and#160;and#8220;Gentlemen, We Must Outbuild Hitlerand#8221;and#8195;75
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;10.and#160;The Liberatorand#8195;86
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;11.and#160;Willow Runand#8195;99
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;12.and#160;Awakeningand#8195;106
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;13.and#160;Strike!and#8195;115
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;14.and#160;Air Raid!and#8195;122
PART III. The Big One
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;15.and#160;The Grim Raceand#8195;129
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;16.and#160;and#8220;Detroitand#8217;s Worries Are Right Nowand#8221;and#8195;141
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;17.and#160;Will It Run?and#8195;150
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;18.and#160;Bomber Ship 01and#8195;160
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;19.and#160;Roosevelt Visits Willow Runand#8195;167
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;20.and#160;A Dying Manand#8195;175
PART IV. The Rise of American Airpower
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;21.and#160;Unconditional Surrenderand#8195;185
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;22.and#160;Taking Flightand#8195;195
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;23.and#160;and#8220;The Arsenal of Democracy Is Making Goodand#8221;and#8195;206
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;24.and#160;Death in Dearbornand#8195;215
PART V. The Battle of Dearborn
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;25.and#160;Operation Tidal Waveand#8195;229
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;26.and#160;The Detroit Race Riot of 1943and#8195;239
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;27.and#160;and#8220;The United States Is the Country of Machinesand#8221;and#8195;250
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;28.and#160;Ford War Production Exceeds Dreamsand#8195;258
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;29.and#160;D-Dayand#8195;269
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;30.and#160;The Final Battleand#8195;278 and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;Epilogueand#8195;285
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;A Note on the Text and Acknolwedgmentsand#8195;293
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;Notesand#8195;297
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;Indexand#8195;343