Sage

by Jerry Sage

Sage is the remarkable autobiography of Colonel Jerry Sage, the guerrilla leader and saboteur known as "Silent Death" who served William "Wild Bill" Donovan's O.S.S. (the forerunner of the C.I.A.) during World War II. Colonel Sage's first assignment was to organize behind-the-lines operations against Erwin Rommel in North Africa. After being captured and brutally interrogated, he was sent to the P.O.W. camp Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany. As an O.S.S. officer, Sage would have been executed had his identity been known. But at the time he was captured, Sage jettisoned his O.S.S. hardware and claimed he was a shot-down flier. His true identity was never discovered by his Nazi captors. While a prisoner of war, Sage conducted classes in silent killing with a hand-picked group of Americans. He also worked for fifteen months on the huge, three-tunnel project known in book and movie as "The Great Escape" and was in charge of hiding over 200,000 pounds of golden sand from the German "ferrets." Sage is a vivid, personal account of O.S.S. training under "Wild Bill" Donovan and of the subversive activities conducted in North Africa. It recalls the Nazi interrogations and treatment of Allied prisoners, the vicious reprisals reserved for those prisoners who tried to escape and the extraordinary resourcefulness of the men inside the camps. It is the testimony of a unique individual with the faith, courage, and indomitable will to serve his country and pursue the cause of freedom.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Military History

470 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[John Ratliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I had the privilege of serving in the 10th Special Forces in Bavaria when Colonel Sage was the Group commander. We all held him in high regard and were awed by his presence. I did not know him personally as I was just an enlisted man, but he was a familiar sight among us. We knew a little bit about his background, but of course, he became more famous as his exploits were the basis of the movie, The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, released in 1963.

Sage got his start early in WWII with the new Office of Strategic Services (OSS), headed by the famous Wild Bill Donovan, and it was the forerunner of the modern CIA. Rommel's German troops captured Sage during a sabotage mission in North Africa, and he became a German POW. In that respect the story is exhaustive in detail and depth about the hellish life of a POW. If nothing else one leaves this book with a new understanding of how allied officers were handled by their German captors, which included both good and bad moments. Sage was a constant headache for his captors.

Late in the book we are treated to mention of many special assignments he was sent on all over the world. His experience and insights were much in demand, and we get a sense of the extent of his talents and intellectual depth. He had an astounding range in his imagination and possessed indefatigable energy and determination under extreme adversity. But, I must admit that I never before realized what a true humanitarian he was--a warm and likeable guy in all cultures. He was much more than the "Silent Killer" as he was often called.

He dwells at some length about his assignment with the 10th Special Forces Group in Bad Tölz, and nearby Lenggries, where I was stationed. He obviously relished leading the special men of the 10th on missions from Scandinavia to Arabia. Plus, the Soviets knew him well and were very concerned about that Group and its orientation to Eastern Europe.

It was also a revelation to me to learn that he ended up in his career as a school teacher of young people in college and high schools. If you tackle this book be prepared to learn all about what POW life is about. RIP, Colonel Jerry Sage, from a comrade in arms.

[Leah Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story of courage, persistence, focusing on a goal, and faith to keep going despite all the odds. Jerry Sage was an OSS (American saboteur) in Europe during WWII. He had a part in preparation for The Great Escape from Nazi Stalag Luft III but was not a participant because he had been moved to a new American POW camp before the tunnel escape occurred. But throughout his POW time he attempted numerous escapes but was caught repeatedly.

When my now 89 year old father was a cadet at West Point Col Sage taught one of his classes. Later my dad taught escape techniques to soldiers in post-war Germany, where he had a couple of chances to meet up with Sage again. I bought a used paperback so Daddy could reread his book. I am so glad I read it after he had finished it. I did see it is now available on Kindle so maybe it will be read by a new generation or two or readers.

[Charles Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in the 6th grade, about 1986. I lived the next town over from COL Sage, so when they assigned this book to us as a class reading project, COL Sage came to our library and talked to us about the book and about his exploits in the OSS and the Army.

[David Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful account of one of America’s true heroes. I had the pleasure of meeting Col. Sage in college after a lecture. What a great story.

[Tony Santo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story told by Jerry Sage, one of the real life POW's held in teh famous Nazi prison camps. Much of "The Great Escape" facts are mentioned here. One thing that impressed me beyond the usual circumstances and ingenuity applied to scape attempts, was how smart and well-versed this man was. He seems to have been quite learned about literature, music, engineering, warfare, culture, hand to hand combat and mitlitary strategies in his early twenties. This is a must-read for WW2 in Europe buffs!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost done with this one. It's a pretty fascinating account just hearing all about the genius of the WW II POW's and they things they invented and the plans they came up with. Pretty amazing..a totally different POW experience from Vietnam. More upbeat than so many of the other POW accounts. COL Sage had spirit that wouldn't be crushed.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the relatively few memoirs that lives up to the man who wrote it. Amazing man, amazing story. Do yourself a favor and find a copy of this book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Met COL Sage while at Fort Rucker, AL. He signed my copy of his book.