| Escape Artist: The Incredible Second World War of Johnny Peck Contributor(s): Monteath, Peter (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 1526727536 ISBN-13: 9781526727534 Publisher: Pen & Sword Military OUR PRICE: $35.96 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Biography & Autobiography | Military - History | Australia & New Zealand - General - Biography & Autobiography | Historical |
| Physical Information: 1.2" H x 6.1" W x 9.3" (1.45 lbs) 304 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Australian - Chronological Period - 1940's |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The never-before-told story of World War II escape artist extraordinaire, Johnny Peck. In August 1941, an eighteen-year-old Australian soldier made his first prison break - an audacious night-time escape from a German prisoner-of-war camp in Crete. Astoundingly, this was only the first of many escapes. An infantryman in the 2/7 Battalion, Johnny Peck was first thrown into battle against Italian forces in the Western Desert. Campaigns against Hitler's Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe in Greece and Crete followed. When Crete fell to the Germans at the end of May 1941, Peck was trapped on the island with hundreds of other men. On the run, they depended on their wits, the kindness of strangers, and sheer good luck. When Peck's luck ran out, he was taken captive by the Germans, then the Italians. Later, after his release from a Piedmontese jail following the Italian Armistice of 1943, and at immense risk to his own life, Peck devoted himself to helping POWs cross the Alps to safety. Captured once more, Peck was sentenced to death and detained in Milan's notorious, Gestapo-run San Vittore prison - until escaping again, this time into Switzerland. Historian Peter Monteath reveals the action-packed tale of one young Australian soldier and his remarkable war. |
Contributor Bio(s): Monteath, Peter: - Peter Monteath is a lecturer in Modern European History at Flinders University of South Australia. His research interests include modern European and Australian history, and he has a particular interest in prisoners of war, internment, and the German presence in Australia, having written extensively on these subjects |
