The Twentieth Train

These three lone men freed 17 men and women before the German guards opened fire. Miraculously, by the time the convoy h... (more)

These three lone men freed 17 men and women before the German guards opened fire. Miraculously, by the time the convoy had reached the German border another 225 prisoners had managed to escape unharmed and found shelter with the locals. In a testament to the solidarity of the Belgians, none of the escapees were betrayed. Yet the three young rescuers shared a different fate, ending for them in concentration camps and, for one, death. Marion Schreiber's gripping book about the only Nazi death train in World War II to be ambushed draws on private documents, photographs, archive material, and police reports, as well as original research, including interviews with the surviving escapees. Like Schindler's List, The Twentieth Train creates a vivid, moving portrait of heroism under impossible circumstances. (less)