Operation Swallow: American Soldiers' Remarkable Escape from Berga Concentration Camp

by Mark Felton

The true story of American POWs in a Nazi concentration camp and their daring escape.
Operation Swallow is the story of how a small group of American soldiers, led by a charismatic but reluctant leader named Hans Kasten, tried, as camp leaders, to save hundreds of fellow servicemen from a diabolical Nazi plan to turn US prisoners-of-war into concentration camp slaves. It is a story that begins in the dark forests of the Ardennes during Christmas 1944 and ends at the charnel house that was Buchenwald Concentration Camp in spring 1945. It is the remarkable battle of wills between a young GI who is thrust into a leadership position he didn't want and an evil SS officer who will stop at nothing to complete his diabolical orders. It is also an escape story replete with courage, sacrifice, torture, despair, and salvation.
Even more remarkably, it is a story that has barely been told before, an appalling chapter of US military history and a truly uplifting Holocaust story that deserves to be widely known and understood. Though the subject of two general histories of Jewish-American soldiers in German hands, a compelling narrative-driven nonfiction book has not been written that takes the reader deep into the dark story of Operation 'Swallow' and Berga Concentration Camp in an enthralling and immediate way--until now.
Written from personal testimonies and official documents, Operation Swallow is a narrative nonfiction story replete with high adventure, strong and compelling characters, human drama, tragedy, and eventual salvation, from the pen of a master of the modern military narrative.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II, Historical, Holocaust, History, War, Military Fiction

Audible Audio

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

British military historian and author. For more information visit www.markfelton.co.uk

Reviews

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the books title refers to Nazi Germany's secret operations to move their synthetic fuel production underground using slave labor from its concentration camps, and in one instance US Army prisoner of war that included Jewish soldiers, this only takes up a small portion of the book. The story is more focused on PFC Hans Kasten of the 28th Infantry Division who was twice captured at the start the Battle of the Bulge, and his journey through the German camps and how he ended up at Berga concentration camp, where he escaped with two other prisoners and was recaptured and sentenced to death by the Gestapo and with days to spare was liberated by US forces. It is a book of a mans will to live and never give in to tyranny. The book started slow for me and only became a 5 star read towards the second half of the book.

[Ashley Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crazy that I’ve never heard of this in history!!! The story of the American soldiers that were captured by Nazi Germany and placed in concentration camps. Three soldiers escaped and then helped other soldiers gain freedom.

[Nemo Nemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR

Mark Felton has a PhD in history from the University of Essex. He has authored numerous publications and maintains two YouTube Channels. You can find him on his official website here. If you are interested in his YouTube channels, you can find WWII history here, and his War Stories here. Mark’s twitter page is @mpfelton. If you are looking for more information on Mark Felton you can try his Wilkipedia page here.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

This book will appeal to anyone who enjoys non-fiction stories of WWII. History buffs, students, teachers, and anyone else who likes to read historic accounts of the soldiers who fought in the European theatre will truly enjoy reading this work.


SYNOPSIS

Operation Swallow: American Soldiers' Remarkable Escape from Berga Concentration Camp is the story of U.S. soldiers captured during the Battle of the Bulge and taken to “Berga an der Elster,” a German concentration camp. These soldiers were forced into hard labor by the Germans to aid in their warfighting machine. The deprivation, malnutrition, torture, and forced labor killed many POW’s. Forced to dig whether they were ill or not, beaten if they didn’t or couldn’t meet expectations, these men suffered at the hands of their captors. The bond between the soldiers and loyalty they shared were essential in the escape attempts.

Mark Felton weaves a compelling tale from official documents, eye witness accounts, and personal testimonies. He tells the story in the words of those who were actually there and experienced the brutality and hardships first hand.



CONCLUSION

Operation Swallow is a no-holds-bar true life story of just one facet in WWII. Imagine this story multiplied across all the concentration camps run by the Germans and the scale of the atrocities is astronomical. Mark does a great job bringing this story to light and giving these soldiers who suffered at the hands of the Germans a voice. I definitely recommend this book.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Mark Felton, NetGalley, and Center Street for affording me the opportunity to review Operation Swallow: American Soldiers' Remarkable Escape from Berga Concentration Camp.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Mark Felton offers readers the little known story of US Soldiers that were captured and placed in a Concentration Camp after the Battle of the Bulge. The material is presented concisely and because it is history being related it can seem a bit slow at times. I appreciated the slowness, as the information is graphic and frequently disturbing. What was not disturbing, but heartening, was the comradery and bonds among the prisoners. Their treatment was inhumane, their will to survive strong, and their escape inevitable. What a testimony to humanity and the spirit of those men.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

[Christopher Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent War story

This was a very interesting book, with a great story written by a knowledgeable author. The true story really shows what these guys went through.

[Tony Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a truckload of books about World War Two, quite a few about concentration camps, especially Auschwitz. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and other prisoners saw their lives extinguished in the most vile manner.

Operation Swallow is a totally different story of prisoners under the aegis of the Nazis. Mark Felton's approach is realistic and also gut wrenching Where was the Geneva Convention when American POWs were put to work creating an underground facility to help bring the Germans plans for a counter attack with rockets on the British. Fortunately it was too little too late.

The men whose story is told here were captured after the battle of Ardennes, one of the few battles which the Wermacht prevailed over American forces. The story focuses on Hans Kasten, a GI of German descent. He went out on a limb to challenge the SS leadership and try and prevent the American prisoners from being forced to do hard labour for the German cause.

Their tale became known as Operation Swallow which the American government resisted being made public until Mark Felton was able to piece together what happened from those who survived. Its not a book shouting out about American heroes, its a true life expose of what happened as the War was almost over.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very tense story that follows the Second World War life of Hans Kasen, a defiant, smart American G.I. who fought, was captured, fought again, then captured again and marched into Germany as a P.O.W. Those conditions were horrible, but the cruelty of the camp was worse. And then a Swiss Red Cross inspector talked to him about what the men needed, supposedly in confidence, because Hans had been elected to translate and represent all the Americans in the camp with his natural leadership skill and German-speaking background. Unfortunately, the Swiss helper gave him away when they met the German commander to deliver all the complaints and shortcomings. The commander got rid of him through his cousin, in charge of an even worse place--a concentration camp where Jews and others were literally worked to death blasting tunnels out of solid rock. Wildly, Hans and 2 others successfully escaped, but one small lapse put them in danger again. This proved to be an edge-of-my-seat story with plenty of cruelty beyond belief, but also daring and triumph.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very familiar with Mark Felton through his YouTube videos on 20th century history. (I highly recommend both Mark Felton Productions and War Stories with Mark Felton.) I saw this title on Amazon, so I ordered it. This is quite a story Felton presents here. I knew about American troops captured during the Battle of the Bulge being send to prisoner of war (POW) camps in Germany, but not this particular story. Reading of American POWs being sent to Berga Concentration Camp and employed as slave labor was a revelation. I can see why the US Army wanted to suppress this story for years, but Felton worked his sources and employed his analytical mind to bring this story to light. It's perhaps a bit hard to take, reading about the conditions the POWs endured during the late months of World War II in Europe, but I got a lot more respect for what these American troops went through. Greatest Generation indeed. Recommended book for World War II history enthusiasts.

[Brian Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

HUGE fan of his YouTube so I was svery excited to read this and he surely did not disappoint. As with his videos, the subject is one of the lesser known WW2 stories, which already makes it interesting. It's another "wow, that really happened???" story which his channel is known for.

Felton tells the story perfectly, with enough detail to bring you into the horrific conditions of the prison camp. He tells the story of a unsung hero, Hans Kastan who IMHO (and Felton) should have been given the highest honors for his bravery and dedication to the men in the camp.

I devoured this one in a few short days, another case of making the time to read, which is the sign of a great book. Definitely looking forward to my next Felton, and in the meantime, back to his YouTube!

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on true events, Mark Felton has written a very readable account of events taking place during World War II – particularly those relating to captured American troops sent to prison camps near Frankfurt. Felton’s included action scenes of ground and air attacks are effective storytellers regarding the chaos of war, and the descriptions of atrocities and deprivations highlight the attitude of the Germans near the end of the conflict, when individuals enforced their own harsh rules. I enjoyed learning about the main characters and their initial attempts to survive and then later escape, and appreciated the depth of research required to write this fascinating story.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tells the true story of three American Soldier’s escape from Berga.
The story centres around Hans Kasten, his capture and then escape, and then recapture.
Luck features in this story, as his escape and brush with near death certainly have this.
The end tells of what happened after the American forces liberated the camps.
They certainly had luck on their side.

Found the start to be long, and slightly boring, until the escape so stay with it.

3 stars overall.
A must if you are into survival stories or history.

[Nissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, sobering, and difficult, this book relates the eyewitness account of the American POW survivors which all people of any nationality should read so that we never forget the atrocity of WWII and to remember those who not only braved the war as soldiers or survived the concentration camps, but also to honor and remember all who lost their lives. A must read.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an heroic story about American POWs used for horrific and illegal purposes. The information was graphic and often disturbing. Most of this 8.5 hour book is not about the experience of Berga Concentration Camp, but about the lead up to it, including the Battle of the Bulge and life in another POW camp. Felton's description was very good and spot-on the events.

[Dawn Attumalil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. I cried like a baby at the ending. Very much enjoyed

[Sheila H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable. Talk about timing!

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique and rare viewpoint of American POW’s which I found fascinating. Felton is a master and bringing unknown subjects to light in an easy and interesting way.

[Jon van der Hagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

American POWs in WWII

good biography of severalcaptives, but without a great climax. so - so read.. short book. would have liked more detail about the afterwards.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the many little known incidences that took place during World War II.

[Evanmay · Rating 5 out of 5]

best ww2 book i have read

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Documented Experience of GI's imprisoned in German P.O.W. camps

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't necessarily call the escape remarkable but this is a solid story worth reading.

[jim bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a Dime novel. Disappointed…

Knowing the author from his YOUTUBE articles on WWII I expected a book that was factual without all of the “ assumed” dramatics. The best part was the photo gallery at the end.

[Allison]

Rtc

[Jayde Schwerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me from cover to cover. Wow... a very good read indeed.

[Gary Detrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, well written and documented. First book I have read by this author. I believe I may explore some of his other material. Mark has an interesting library of books to read.

[Gavinõ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a neat little book about three Americans journey from the Battle of the Bulge to escape and liberation from Nazi concentration camps. The book is written in the form of a novel, but it is fascinating and terrifying to think that all the events in the book are real!

To me, this book helped dispel the myth of the campiness that often surrounds Americans’ views on how Allied POWs were treated by Germans during the war. With movies like The Great Escape and shows like Hogan’s Hero’s, there is an idea in the average Americans mind that Americans did not really suffer at the hands of the German Guards and SS. However, in Mr. Felton’s book, we hear first account testimonies of how the German’s really treated the Allied POWS and the terrible misfortunes that many Jewish Allied POWS endured.

The story of Hans Kasten is both remarkable and an inspirational portrait of real leadership in the face of dire odds. I am glad that my girlfriend picked up this great book for my birthday!

[Audiobook Accomplice (Gillian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, but Curses! to the Ever-Misleading Publisher’s Summary!!!
My Full Review →