‘Captain Charles Kennedy’ parachuted into a moonlit Austrian forest and searched frantically for his lost radio set. His real name was Leo Hillman and he was a Jewish refugee from Vienna. He was going home.
Men and women of Churchill’s secret Special Operations Executive worked to free Austria from Hitler’s grip. Many were themselves Austrians who had fled Nazi persecution. Trained and equipped by SOE, they courageously returned to their homeland. Some died in the attempt.
Their moving stories are part of the history of how Austria recovered her sovereignty.
Praise for Return to Vienna
‘An extraordinary and compelling account of the little-known operations of SOE and Austria in World War Two. Peter Dixon shines a light on the bravery of the agents, in a narrative told with colour and vivacity, yet great sensitivity and meticulous research‘, Dr Helen Fry, author of Spymaster.
‘A valuable and well-researched account of a little-known aspect of SOE’s operations’, Paul McCue, Secret World War 2 Learning Network.
5-Star Wishing Shelf Review
This is a fascinating book, the author offering the reader a glimpse into the world of espionage, the work of the SOE, and the attempts to free Austria from Hitler’s grip. He is particularly successful in humanising the story as the reader is introduced to the men and women who risked everything for the good of the war and for the future of Austria.
It´s a gripping story of daring deeds and clever thinking helped along by a sprinkling of illustrations which very much add to the text. I´m very happy to recommend this book to anybody interested in World War Two, specifically the work of the SOE in undermining the German´s influence in Austria. Yes, it´s dryly written – as history books tend to be – but the author´s knowledge of events is impressive, and his simple, workmanlike writing style puts across the information succinctly and in a well-organised and easily accessible way.
5-Star Readers’ Favorite Review
An enthralling tale from a lesser-known part of real Second World War history in which we explore the fascinating timeline of Churchill’s secret Special Operations Executive. This unique organization aided in a particularly important part of returning Austria to sovereignty and freedom from Nazi rule through the masterful use of a range of espionage techniques that saw many Austrian refugees trained up and sent back into their country at a time of extreme danger. It is a factual work that covers the historical, military, and cross-cultural categories.
Peter Dixon shines a bright spotlight on a compelling piece of history that will certainly delight fans of military and espionage writing … packed full of detail and insight … a meticulously well-written work that takes us through everything we could want to know, delivered with a keen sense of narrative flow so that we never feel overwhelmed by walls of text. At its heart, this is a human story brimming with emotion, triumph, heartache, and tragedy, and I would not hesitate to recommend Return to Vienna to fans of historical WW2 writing everywhere.
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ISBN: 978-1915842008 (hardback), 978-1916027398 (paperback)
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