Man of Confidence: Kenneth J. Kurtenbach: WWII’s Longest-Serving American POW Camp Leader - Couverture rigide

Buick, Maureen

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1636246737 ISBN 13 : 9781636246734

Editeur : Casemate Publishers, 2026

Synopsis

Shot down at twenty-one, tortured by the Gestapo, and sent to the notorious Stalag 17B, Kenneth “Kurt” J. Kurtenbach refused to be just another prisoner of war—he became a “prisoner at war.” He led more than 4,000 fellow airmen behind barbed wire, fighting daily for their rights, survival, and dignity under the Geneva Convention. Many credited him with saving their lives; all remembered him as the leader who gave them hope and helped them return home with honor. In December 1942, after evading capture for thirteen days in Nazi-occupied France, Kurt was caught by the Gestapo, interrogated under the infamous Klaus Barbie, and transferred through a series of POW camps before reaching Stalag 17B. There, for eighteen months until liberation, he bore the heavy responsibility of being the prisoners’ only official representative to German and Swiss authorities, working tirelessly to improve the lives of his fellow POWs. Awarded the Legion of Merit and recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor, Kurt has been featured in books, documentaries, and interviews with the Holocaust Museum and the History Channel; yet his complete story has never been told. Drawing on extensive archival research and first-hand accounts, this is the powerful story of Kurt Kurtenbach, from his childhood in Iowa and Montana to his final days. It demonstrates how courage, determination, and grit can endure even during humanity’s darkest moments.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Maureen Buick is the author of the award-winning book Finding Bomb Boogie: A Daughter’s Search to Rediscover her Father―the World War II Bomber Boy, Prisoner of War, and American Veteran. While researching her father’s story, she learned he was at the same prisoner-of-war camp where Kenneth J. Kurtenbach served as the camp leader―Stalag 17-B. Maureen is also a member of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society and the 91st Bomb Group Memorial Association, where she serves on the board as the editor of the association’s quarterly newsletter. She lives in San Francisco with her husband. They have two adult children and two grandsons, with whom Maureen often shares stories of World War II―lest we forget.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Casemate Publishers
• Date d'édition: 2026
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1636246737
• ISBN 13: 9781636246734
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 336
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible