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Last Hope Island
- Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of War
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Kimberly Farr
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
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Publisher's summary
A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times best-selling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days.
When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France.
As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as "Last Hope Island". Getting there, one young emigré declared, was "like getting to heaven".
In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive "H7" monogram became a symbol of his country's resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible.
Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans' heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans' reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations - gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe - that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion.
A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson's best-selling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent.
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A Man Called Intrepid is the account of the world’s first integrated intelligence operation and of its master, William Stephenson. Codenamed INTREPID by Winston Churchill, Stephenson was charged with establishing and running a vast, worldwide intelligence network to challenge the terrifying force of Nazi Germany. Nothing less than the fate of Britain and the free world hung in the balance as INTREPID covertly set about stalling the Nazis by any means necessary.
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You have to wonder ...
- By Mike From Mesa on 04-15-14
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The Third Reich at War
- By: Richard J. Evans
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 35 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Evans interweaves a broad narrative of the war’s progress with viscerally affecting personal testimony from a wide range of people - from generals to front-line soldiers, from Hitler Youth activists to middle-class housewives. The Third Reich at War lays bare the dynamics of a nation more deeply immersed in war than any society before or since. Fresh insights into the conflict’s great events are here, from the invasion of Poland to the Battle of Stalingrad to Hitler’s suicide in the bunker.
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Masterful
- By Karen on 09-03-10
By: Richard J. Evans
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After Hitler
- The Last Ten Days of World War II in Europe
- By: Michael Jones
- Narrated by: Robert Ian Mackenzie
- Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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With the world at war, 10 days can feel like a lifetime.... On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin. But victory over the Nazi regime was not celebrated in Western Europe until May 8 and in Russia a day later, on the ninth. Why did a peace agreement take so much time? How did this brutal, protracted conflict coalesce into its unlikely endgame? After Hitler shines a light on 10 fascinating days after that infamous suicide that changed the course of the 20th century.
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The slow end to World War II in Europe
- By Mike From Mesa on 04-10-16
By: Michael Jones
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Operation Snow
- How a Soviet Mole in FDR’s White House Triggered Pearl Harbor
- By: John Koster
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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On December 7, 1941, the nation of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and prompted the United States’ entry into the bloodiest war in human history. Americans have long debated the cause of the bombing; many have argued that the attack was a brilliant Japanese military coup or a failure of US intelligence agencies or even a conspiracy of the Roosevelt administration. But despite the attention historians have paid to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the truth about that fateful day has remained a mystery - until now.
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PUT IT IN THE FILE BLAMING FDR FOR PEARL HARBOR
- By Ron on 11-21-20
By: John Koster
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The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume I: Visions of Glory 1874-1932
- By: William Manchester
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 41 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Winston Churchill is perhaps the most important political figure of the 20th century. His great oratory and leadership during the Second World War were only part of his huge breadth of experience and achievement. Studying his life is a fascinating way to imbibe the history of his era and gain insight into key events that have shaped our time.
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Superb - Review of Both Volume I & Volume II
- By Wolfpacker on 01-23-09
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Mao
- The Unknown Story
- By: Jung Chang, Jon Halliday
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 29 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before, and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this is the most authoritative biography of Mao ever written.
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Fills many gaps! Very good..but!
- By Jene on 08-07-06
By: Jung Chang, and others
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A Savage War of Peace
- Algeria 1954-1962
- By: Alistair Horne
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 29 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The Algerian War lasted from 1954 to 1962. It caused the fall of six French governments, led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic, and came close to provoking a civil war on French soil. More than a million Muslim Algerians died in the conflict, and as many European settlers were driven into exile. From the perspective of half a century, it looks less like the last colonial war than the first postmodern one.
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Excellent history of France's Viet Nam
- By David on 04-10-16
By: Alistair Horne
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Moral Combat
- Good and Evil in World War II
- By: Michael Burleigh
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 26 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In this sweepingly ambitious overview of World War II, Michael Burleigh combines meticulous scholarship with a remarkable depth of knowledge and an astonishing scope. By exploring the moral sentiments of entire societies and their leaders and how such attitudes changed under the impact of total war, Burleigh presents listeners with a fresh and powerful perspective on a conflict that continues to shape world politics.
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terror
- By Ed on 02-12-12
By: Michael Burleigh
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Red Heat
- Conspiracy, Murder, and the Cold War in the Caribbean
- By: Alex von Tunzelmann
- Narrated by: Sarah Coomes
- Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The Caribbean crises of the Cold War are revealed as never before in this riveting story of clashing ideologies, the rise of the politics of fear, the machinations of superpowers, and the daring of the brazen mavericks who took them on. The superpowers thought they could use Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic as puppets, but what neither bargained on was that their puppets would come to life.
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Interesting, not extraordinary.
- By History on 10-24-11
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Six Months in 1945
- FDR, Stalin, Churchill, and Truman - from World War to Cold War
- By: Michael Dobbs
- Narrated by: Bob Walter
- Length: 16 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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When Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill met in Yalta in February 1945, Hitler's armies were on the run and victory was imminent. The Big Three wanted to draft a blueprint for a lasting peace - but instead set the stage for a 44-year division of Europe into Soviet and western spheres of influence. After fighting side by side for nearly four years, their political alliance was rapidly fracturing. By the time the leaders met again in Potsdam in July 1945, Russians and Americans were squabbling over the future of Germany and Churchill was warning about an "iron curtain" being drawn down over the Continent.
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Totally Outstanding. Bravo !
- By Alan on 10-25-12
By: Michael Dobbs
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The Road Not Taken
- Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam
- By: Max Boot
- Narrated by: Henry Strozier
- Length: 27 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In chronicling the adventurous life of legendary CIA operative Edward Lansdale, The Road Not Taken definitively reframes our understanding of the Vietnam War. In this epic biography of Edward Lansdale (1908-1987) best-selling historian Max Boot demonstrates how Lansdale pioneered a "hearts and mind" diplomacy, first in the Philippines, then in Vietnam. It was a visionary policy that, as Boot reveals, was ultimately crushed by America's giant military bureaucracy.
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An honest look at Vietnam Nam and USA
- By Catherine on 01-16-18
By: Max Boot
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Lawrence in Arabia
- War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East
- By: Scott Anderson
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 23 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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A thrilling and revelatory narrative of one of the most epic and consequential periods in 20th century history - the Arab Revolt and the secret “great game” to control the Middle East. Lawrence in Arabia definitively overturns received wisdom on how the modern Middle East was formed. Sweeping in its action, keen in its portraiture, acid in its condemnation of the destruction wrought by European colonial plots, this is a book that brilliantly captures the way in which the folly of the past creates the anguish of the present.
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A Comprehensive, Compelling Biography
- By Lester Gesteland on 10-05-20
By: Scott Anderson
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Forgotten Ally
- China's World War II, 1937 - 1945
- By: Rana Mitter
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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For decades, a major piece of World War II history has gone virtually unwritten. The war began in China two full years before Hitler invaded Poland, and China eventually became the fourth great ally, partner to the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. Yet its drama of invasion, resistance, slaughter, and political intrigue remains little known in the West.
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Bland
- By Rodney on 01-23-14
By: Rana Mitter
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What listeners say about Last Hope Island
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- DanD
- 06-25-17
Not What I Expected--More What I Needed to Know
I have long been a WWII history buff, since the war formed the basis of my very earliest years growing up in the U.S. I have long read of the gallant wartime exploits of Britain's MI5, MI6, MI9, SOE, the American OSS, and the heroic Resistance of Occupied Europe. They are here, but sadly more can now be told of the vicious political backbiting that enabled all too much scum to rise to the top, wasted numberless gallant lives, and fostered the careers of the malicious and feckless. Do not read this if you wish your illusions to be preserved!
The story is well and interestingly, if somewhat haphazardly, related. A remarkable leitmotiv is how the various European governments in exile in London formed the basis of the post-war European unity movement, and how the enmity of De Gaulle worked against Britain's full integration into the European Union, even unto Brexit.
This is one of those special books that encourages me to make better sense of what I thought I knew of the period I have lived through
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13 people found this helpful
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- Go Steelers
- 10-14-17
Riveting, and informative even for students of history
Although I knew pieces of this story of exile governments and refugee soldiers in wartime Britain, much of this book was a revelation. Even familiar narratives are told from a different perspective. The text holds your attention like a good novel would. The narrator does a very good job, but doesn’t attempt accents or impersonations as some others do. For anyone who is interested in the European theater of WWII, especially espionage and resistance, this book is a must-read.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Patrick
- 08-26-17
Outstanding
This is one of the best books on World War II I have read in the last 50 years of reading and studying military history! It tells about a little covered and often unflattering aspect of the allied effort against Germany in that great conflict. It also benefits from knowledge gained after the fall of the iron curtain.
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8 people found this helpful
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- neg harrington
- 09-27-19
A must read/listen
This book provided the other half of the story of the European theatre during WWII. In all of my readings of this war, I never heard about the major contributions of the smaller European countries. Nor did I read about the grave mistakes and misjudgments by The US and England. Bravo again Lynne Olson.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Mike From Mesa
- 06-13-18
The lesser known stories of World War II
I originally made the assumption that this book described events that took place in the UK during World War II. While that is partially true, most of the events in this book took place in Europe and the title Last Hope Island seems to me to be misleading. What we really have are the lesser known tales of the European Theater of World War II involving the Europeans rather than the British. Some samples of the tales might help.
The importance of non-British pilots during the Battle of Britain.
The actions of those Europeans who saved and sheltered RAF pilots over Europe and returned them to Britain.
The importance of intelligence gathered from European resistance members.
The failures of the SOE in The Netherlands and France during World War II.
The importance of the French resistance during the D-Day Landings.
The importance of the Poles in cracking the German Enigma codes
The theft of the heavy water supplies from Norway.
and many other tales mostly involving events that took place outside of Britain and/or largely involved non-British participants. The book is interesting and for those who have not read much on World War II in Europe, many of the stories may be new, but there is not much here that a close reading of World War II will not have already made clear. The main thrust of this book is that the peoples of Europe were not passive observers of World War II, but were, in many cases, active participants, working against the Germans for a British and American victory. That story is not new, but is worth telling over and over again.
The narration is adequate, if not great, and the writing is interesting. I found little new in this book in general, but many of the specifics were new to me and were worth listening to. In particular, the tales of the individuals involved, rather than the events themselves, were well worth listening to and were often moving. The most striking for me was the tale of the complete failure of the British in understanding that their SOE operatives in Amsterdam had been turned by the Germans in spite of all of the evidence pointing that way. The main failing I found with the book was its failure to follow up on what happened after the war to those involved in the events. The British SOE failure is described as almost criminal in nature, with the British not even obeying their own guidelines to insure that the information was being supplied by free agents, but there is no information about whether any of those involved were ever punished and, if not, why not.
I can not strongly recommend this book, but it is worth listening to if the reader is not familiar with much of the history of the European Theater in World War II.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Carly
- 03-18-18
Read the actual book
This is a wonderful book with a very good narrator. Difficult to follow on Audible.
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- Andy
- 11-11-17
Interesting but...
Overall I liked the book a lot. But the SOE sections on Holland and France came straight out of “between silk and cyanide” by Leo marks
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- Jeannie Marcus
- 03-30-20
The backstory to WWII
This book fills in the details of the war. It is the back story that doesn’t told. It refers to the mistakes and the blunders and hatred. Understanding how the agony and support during the war played out is a reflection of how some countries behave to each other today.
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- DanBudda
- 02-10-19
Too much fluff.
Citizens of London was wonderful so I thought I’d give this a shot. This book contains far too much autobiographical material on too many personalities and, worse, it appears in the middle of action sequences which totally destroys the narrative flow. I didn’t even finish this listen. Stick with Citizens of London.
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- Scott
- 03-15-20
A worthy & unique view of WW2
The author doesn’t try to flatter the big 3 allied powers of WWII but instead presents the bare knuckled view of the governing, warring, and negotiating behind the scenes. There are stories and insights I’ve never heard but ones that need voice. Definitely a worthy listen.
The reader too often sound plodding and measured. After a while I adapted to it but I felt the material deserved a better presentation.
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