'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.
'An enthralling tale from a lesser-known part of real Second World War history. ... At its heart, this is a human story brimming with emotion, triumph, heartache, and tragedy. 5-star Readers' Favorite review.
'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
'Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did.' John Wesley
John Wesley's eighteenth-century message about personal finance, 'Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.' is as radical today as it was three centuries ago. Perhaps more so.
Gain Save Give updates Wesley's words for today's concerned Christian, and for all who want their money and resources to make a positive impact for good in the world. As we look forward to a post-pandemic world, this practical guide will help you:
Gain productively
Save efficiently
Give effectively
Gain Save Give stands alongside best seller finance books by authors like Dave Ramsey and JL Collins, but focuses more on what we do with the resources with which we are entrusted. Each chapter concludes with some actions you can put into practice right away, so we can all get a little closer to using money for good.
'Peter Dixon's book takes John Wesley's thoughts and ideas and translates them for today's world. Wesley's genius is his absolute relevance for a contemporary world. I warmly commend this book to you.' Richard J Teal, President of the Methodist Conference.
It was life or death.
A single slip could lead to arrest, torture, execution. The wrong ration book. A hasty answer to a suspicious question. Trusting the wrong person.The men and women who served as agents of the World War 2 Special Operations Executive were courageous. But courage was not enough. They also needed to learn the caution and suspicion that might just keep them alive, undercover in enemy territory.
Guardians of Churchill's Secret Army tells the stories of the extraordinary men who taught them those skills and thought processes. Their job was to stand alongside trainee agents and teach them how to seem innocuous while preparing resistance, subversion and sabotage.
These men were junior in rank, but far from ordinary people. They were Australian, Anglo-French, Canadian, Scandinavian, East European and British. They had been schoolteachers, journalists, artists, ship brokers, racehorse trainers and international businessmen. Each spoke several languages. Many became agents themselves and displayed great bravery. All played a crucial role in the global effort to undermine the enemy.
We find them not only in the Baker Street Headquarters of SOE, but also in night parachute drops, in paramilitary training in the remotest depths of Scotland and in undercover agent training in isolated English country houses. We follow them to occupied France, to Malaya and Thailand under threat of Japanese invasion, to Italy and Germany as they play their part in the collapse of the Axis regimes. Their stories are inspiring.
