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137th out of 386 books
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1,412 voters
The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz: A True Story of World War II
by
Denis Avey
The almost unbelievable story of Denis Avey, now 92, began in 1944 when he was captured and sent to a POW work camp. He was put to work every day in a German factory, where he labored alongside Jewish prisoners from a nearby camp called Auschwitz. The stories they told him were horrifying. Eventually Avey's curiosity, kind-heartedness, derring-do, and perhaps foolhardiness
...moreHardcover, 288 pages
Published
March 1st 2011
by Hodder & Stoughton
(first published January 1st 2011)
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This book was an interesting. At first, I didn't understand the back story that was in the first part of the book, but then as it progressed it made sense. Here's a story of an average guy, a POW for the Allied forces, who sensed that even though his treatment was cruel & sub par, he found out that the treatment of the men and women next door at Auschwitz was inhumane.
The thing about the Holocaust that I don't understand is how the Germans were able to succeed in persecuting so many people....more
The thing about the Holocaust that I don't understand is how the Germans were able to succeed in persecuting so many people....more
I read a lot of books (listen) on WWII and the Holocaust, so this one was of interest to me – especially reading about someone who chose to break into Auschwitz – I had not read of anyone doing that (except for the Boy in the Striped Pajamas – but that was unwittingly). I enjoyed The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz from beginning to end but just to let you know that the first half of the download focused mainly about his start in the war – leading up to his time in the Italian POW camp for the Brit...more
Feb 02, 2012
Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
saggio-storico,
romanzo-storico
Prima di tutto una precisazione: questo è solo parzialmente un libro che parla di Auschwitz, diciamo la parte centrale, il resto del libro parla di guerra e di prigionia, non espressamente di campi di concentramento.
La scelta dell'entrata volontaria nel campo di Auschwitz in effetti poi si riduce a poche paginette, che descrivono le solo due notti passate dall'autore nel distaccamento del campo di Monowitz. Dunque non so bene come valutare la scelta del titolo: pura scelta commerciale/editoriale...more
La scelta dell'entrata volontaria nel campo di Auschwitz in effetti poi si riduce a poche paginette, che descrivono le solo due notti passate dall'autore nel distaccamento del campo di Monowitz. Dunque non so bene come valutare la scelta del titolo: pura scelta commerciale/editoriale...more
I'm sure most of this account is true but as far as the Auschwitz swap is concerned I'm afraid I don't believe it. Most of the book is full of detail but the Auschwitz swap is covered in a few pages of description most people could write having watched a few films of this awful atrocity.This reads to me like a story of the war career the author wished he'd had not the one he actually had. Reading this book you would think Mr Avey single handedly won the war and revealed the truth about Auschwitz...more
This is a heroic autobiography of a British soldier in World War II. He was fighting against the Italians in Egypt & Libya. One day he is captured and put on a prisoner of war ship, which gets torpedoed in the Mediterranean. He survives by climbing onto an empty crate. He then meanders around Greece and later Italy until he is finally caught. After a few brief escape attempts, he's sent to a POW camp in Poland, known as Auschwitz.
He was forced to work side by side with Jewish prisoners who...more
He was forced to work side by side with Jewish prisoners who...more
This book is effectively an account of the author's war which involved him being captured as a POW and eventually taken to a POW camp next to Auschwitz. He ' befriended' an Auschwitz inmante and on two occasions, through him gained entrance to Auschwitz
Initially I was bored by the narrative but became more engaged in it as the story developed. Some of my problems with the book stem from the fact I do not really like the author. I felt he came over as a little self- obsessvie at times.
I dont que...more
Initially I was bored by the narrative but became more engaged in it as the story developed. Some of my problems with the book stem from the fact I do not really like the author. I felt he came over as a little self- obsessvie at times.
I dont que...more
A very interesting and personal story of a British soldier during World War II who was kept as prisoner of war (POW) near Auschwitz. The first part of the book covers his experiences in the desert of Africa where he fought against Italians and Germans. It's almost impossible to imagine what it must have been like to be there but the author gives a detailed and authentic picture. While I respect his braveness I must confess that I don't find him very likeable. Only a good portion of luck let him...more
3 likes · like · see review
From Amazon:
"THE MAN WHO BROKE INTO AUSCHWITZ is the extraordinary true story of a British soldier who marched willingly into Buna-Monowitz, the concentration camp known as Auschwitz III.
In the summer of 1944, Denis Avey was being held in a POW labour camp, E715, near Auschwitz III. He had heard of the brutality meted out to the prisoners there and he was determined to witness what he could.
He hatched a plan to swap places with a Jewish inmate and smuggled himself into his sector of the camp. He...more
"THE MAN WHO BROKE INTO AUSCHWITZ is the extraordinary true story of a British soldier who marched willingly into Buna-Monowitz, the concentration camp known as Auschwitz III.
In the summer of 1944, Denis Avey was being held in a POW labour camp, E715, near Auschwitz III. He had heard of the brutality meted out to the prisoners there and he was determined to witness what he could.
He hatched a plan to swap places with a Jewish inmate and smuggled himself into his sector of the camp. He...more
fascinating read, and a very moving one, about a very courageous man. The author focuses on two primary areas of his life, combat and capture in North Africa, and his subsequent experiences as a POW. To call these extraordinary is an understatement; multiply his experiences by the thousands of soldiers who also fought, were captured and imprisoned as POW's, and the mind begins to disintegrate at the extent of the suffering. And yet, as Denis makes clear, he was much better off than the Jews at A...more
I went to pick this one up at the local library, and ran into one of my friends who did suggest that this may not be the book to break into on the day, which is true. I always do like a memoir and I had read about this in blogland.
We get to hear about Denis growing up before war intervened, and his service in North Africa. As a prisoner of war he found himself working in a factory in Poland alongside concentration camp inmates from Auschwitz. Wanting to see conditions for himself, on two separat...more
We get to hear about Denis growing up before war intervened, and his service in North Africa. As a prisoner of war he found himself working in a factory in Poland alongside concentration camp inmates from Auschwitz. Wanting to see conditions for himself, on two separat...more
The number of survivors of WWII are dwindling away. How grateful I am for those who tell the tale. That particular time in history should never be repeated. Mr. Avey completed an incredible journey - keeping his hope and love for fellow man alive. Would that we could all follow his example. We should never forget - in order to never again commit those atrocities. This should be required reading for all.
Memorable passages:
"It was days before I was able to reflect on those hours in Auschwitz III a...more
Memorable passages:
"It was days before I was able to reflect on those hours in Auschwitz III a...more
At a time when millions of people were desperately trying to get out, a former soldier has described why he felt the need to smuggle himself into Auschwitz and ultimately save the life of a Jewish prisoner.
"It was evil, it bred evil," 92-year-old Denis Avey said. "So much so that even nature turned its back on this place.
"The bestiality in Auschwitz was something you couldn't ever believe could be."
Mr Avey was in his early twenties and serving in the British army when he was wounded and captured...more
"It was evil, it bred evil," 92-year-old Denis Avey said. "So much so that even nature turned its back on this place.
"The bestiality in Auschwitz was something you couldn't ever believe could be."
Mr Avey was in his early twenties and serving in the British army when he was wounded and captured...more
For years Denis Avery was unable to talk about his experience's during the war nor did anyone for years want to listen.
Now he tells his story, from his boy hood years growing up through his time in North Africa. He relates the many battles and the leaves as his tour takes him across the big "Blue" as they called the desert.
Captured we learn of his time in the POW camps, his recapture and the label of a trouble maker being given to him as he is sent to a camp in Poland.
Though the conditions were...more
Now he tells his story, from his boy hood years growing up through his time in North Africa. He relates the many battles and the leaves as his tour takes him across the big "Blue" as they called the desert.
Captured we learn of his time in the POW camps, his recapture and the label of a trouble maker being given to him as he is sent to a camp in Poland.
Though the conditions were...more
This book is a personal account of a soldier during world war II, and while it focuses on how he was a POW working in the same fields as Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz, it also tells about his time before that, when he was captured by the Afrika corps, when he was wandering around Greece and Italy, and serving in Egypt. But the tale of how he switched out with a Jewish prisoner not once but twice, just for a night, is the central draw of the story.
I'm not really big on history and nonfiction, esp...more
I'm not really big on history and nonfiction, esp...more
4 likes · like · see review
I do love non-fiction that reads like fiction. This is the most remarkable story of a British soldier, Denis Avey, who was captured by the Germans and sent to a POW camp. After several attempted escapes, he ends up at a POW camp near Auschwitz and the IG Farben factory. He is forced to labor at the Farben factory, along with Jewish inmates of Auschwitz. Denis is the kind of man who cannot rest in the face of injustice. He decides to contact an Auschwitz inmate and switch places with him for a da...more
Riveting story - follows soldier from home to battle, to ship wreck, to several debilitating diseases, to multiple POW camps, and ultimately to a POW camp near Aushcwitz where he worked along side the 'slave laborers' from the concentration camp and the Death Marches. This is a story of human endurance that is hard to comprehend sitting in a comfortable chair in a warm house with a full stomach.
Also interesting is his life after the war and all of the difficulties he faced coping with a normal...more
Also interesting is his life after the war and all of the difficulties he faced coping with a normal...more
This book has been brilliantly written! Denis Avey, along with Rob Broomby, let me feel the emotion, the horror, sorrow, heartache, anguish, everything that Denis went through in those horrible years!
Denis tells of his early life as a youngster, training for the war, then heading over to fight. He tells of the mate he went with, Les, how he'd grown up with him, dated his sister, the hardship they went through together.
When he eventually was caught, and became a POW, there is the story of the shi...more
Denis tells of his early life as a youngster, training for the war, then heading over to fight. He tells of the mate he went with, Les, how he'd grown up with him, dated his sister, the hardship they went through together.
When he eventually was caught, and became a POW, there is the story of the shi...more
I find it hard to really review this book. Essentially it is an autobiographical account of Denis Avey's experience as a POW during the Second World War. Which though not centered around, includes descriptions of the times he swapped places with a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz III to learn more of the unspeakable hardships they were forced to endure.
This book was without a doubt fascinating, offering a witness to the Nazi persecution of the Jews, and first hand account of life as a British solid...more
This book was without a doubt fascinating, offering a witness to the Nazi persecution of the Jews, and first hand account of life as a British solid...more
There are a lot of historical accounts of the experiences of prisoners in World War II. This one stands out. Denis Avey a British war veteran. He is an eye witness to the war in north Africa against the Italians & Germans, saw both friends & foe die before his eyes and escaped from his captors several times when he was a P.O.W. The tales he tells are harrowing and the stuff of Hollywood movies - it is easy to see a young solider struggling to stay afloat in the Mediterranean sea or racin...more
This is an amazing account of what it was like to be a POW during WWII in Germany.
I am so grateful to Denis Avey for sharing his story. My grandpa was in the US Army and also in a POW camp in Germany during the same time. My grandpa never talked much about his experiences in the war, but during the last few years of his life he started to talk about it, although he wasn't very detailed. The things that he described were very similar to what Avey experienced.
My amazing grandfather passed away b...more
I am so grateful to Denis Avey for sharing his story. My grandpa was in the US Army and also in a POW camp in Germany during the same time. My grandpa never talked much about his experiences in the war, but during the last few years of his life he started to talk about it, although he wasn't very detailed. The things that he described were very similar to what Avey experienced.
My amazing grandfather passed away b...more
"The stripes understood what was happening. The stench from the crematoria told them all they needed to know. So yes, we had all heard talk of gas chambers and selections but for me it was no good just hearing about it. The words conjecture and speculation were never in my vocabulary. So yes, there was something I could do; something I was driven to do. It wasn't much but if I could get in, if I could only see, I could bear witness." - Denis Avey
The book is about Denis Avey a British Prisoner of...more
The book is about Denis Avey a British Prisoner of...more
No. 22.
This is an incredible story, and the bravery of Denis Avey and his fellow Prisoners of War, as well as the 'stripeys' he worked alongside at Auschwitz III is really incredible. Unfortunately, the first half of the book is mainly about his time in the desert and, although obviously very important to him and to History, I found it difficult to read and quite tedious. I found that many of the terms were difficult to understand as they were military based, and I often lost track of where they...more
This is an incredible story, and the bravery of Denis Avey and his fellow Prisoners of War, as well as the 'stripeys' he worked alongside at Auschwitz III is really incredible. Unfortunately, the first half of the book is mainly about his time in the desert and, although obviously very important to him and to History, I found it difficult to read and quite tedious. I found that many of the terms were difficult to understand as they were military based, and I often lost track of where they...more
Based on some inconsistancies in the telling, historians claimed that the story in the book is not true. Avey Denis, a British prisoner of war in a camp next to Auschwitz III-Monowitz, tells how he tried to help Ernie, a Jewish prisoner, and even exchanged his place with Ernie's, inside the concentration camp, so that he could witness human barbarity. Avey, whose nickname was Ginger, describes the inscription «Arbeit macht frei» at the entrance of the camp, but according to some historians, such...more
The most appropriate word I can think of to describe this book is 'raw'. After sixty five-ish years, this story doesn't seem less powerful. If possible, if seems more sickening. The amazing author was a POW and forced to work for the Nazis alongside Jewish prisoners. I had no idea that happened. The POWs lived in terrible camps near the Jewish prisoners, but the Jewish camps were even worse. It makes me want to puke. How could those Nazi soldiers be so filled with hate that they could brutally k...more
Oct 22, 2011
Michael
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Michael by:
Brenda
A fascinating, emotionally charged tale of the horrors, sorrows and anguish experienced by Denis Avey’s and his time in World War II, being captured by the Germans and the difference between the POW’s and the Jews in Auschwitz. The story starts before the war and goes through all the experiences from training for the war, fight, being a prisoner and life afterwards. He talks not only about the problems, but the friendships he made. One in particular was a friendship he made with one of the Jewis...more
7 likes · like · see review
Apr 04, 2012
Kim
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-club,
biography,
historical,
non-fiction,
war,
male-author,
2010s,
2011,
book-club-literary-exploration
I'm in two minds about this book. On one hand it's a very sad, bleak but honest description of the horrors of war and the horrible suffering of the victims of the Nazi regime. On the other it's the biography of a man who really doesn't seem very likeable.
The Holocaust and other atrocities committed by the Axis powers (as well as some Allied actions) are some of the darkest blights in mankind's history. For those who went through it their experiences are unimaginable. The horror, the misery, the...more
The Holocaust and other atrocities committed by the Axis powers (as well as some Allied actions) are some of the darkest blights in mankind's history. For those who went through it their experiences are unimaginable. The horror, the misery, the...more
6 likes · like · see review
It's astonishing what some people, too many people, have endured and survived in their life. It's simultaneously depressing and inspiring.
A well told memoir by a classic, stoic English gentleman. It's cold and factual for most of the book, but that sets the record straight and helps you stay clear headed as you follow a soldier's persevering attempt to stay clear headed in the most twisted and unimaginable circumstances.
Then after the war, as he looks back at a lifetime of unhealed and unspoken...more
A well told memoir by a classic, stoic English gentleman. It's cold and factual for most of the book, but that sets the record straight and helps you stay clear headed as you follow a soldier's persevering attempt to stay clear headed in the most twisted and unimaginable circumstances.
Then after the war, as he looks back at a lifetime of unhealed and unspoken...more
This is the story of Denis Avery, a British soldier who severed in World War II. During the war, Avery was captured by German troops and became a POW in a camp located near Monowitz, a concentration camp that was known after the war as Auschwitz III. Avey relates the miserable condition that the POWs were forced to live in, and how much worse the conditions seemed for the Jewish prisoners in Monowitz. He explains how cigarettes became the currency of the camp. A prisoner, even a Jewish prisoner,...more
Denis Avey is a British soldier during WWII and is either a very brave or very foolhardy soldier. The firstthird of the book recounts his experinece fighting in Africa in the opening months of the war. After rescuing an officer, he is sent off to a 'cushy' assignment in South Africa but boredom and guilt see him going AWOL and returning to the frontlines in Africa. He is captured and sent to a POW camp next to Auschwitz. There, he changes uniforms with a Jewish prisoner just to have an inside lo...more
Finished this today and it was a good book. I think the title is a little misleading especially seeing as that is what caught my eye in the first place, but when you get into the story, it's pretty good.
I felt the whole Auschwitz bit wasn't the main part of the story like I was hoping it would be, but the other parts were just as interesting, if not more.
I loved the ending and because it is a non-fiction book it makes me feel much happier to know it actually ended that way. I enjoyed the way i...more
I felt the whole Auschwitz bit wasn't the main part of the story like I was hoping it would be, but the other parts were just as interesting, if not more.
I loved the ending and because it is a non-fiction book it makes me feel much happier to know it actually ended that way. I enjoyed the way i...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Perks of Bein...: 'The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz' by Denis Avey (Shirley and Kirsty) | 12 | 10 | May 14, 2013 01:00am | |
| Literary Exploration: April 2012 - The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz | 42 | 86 | May 19, 2012 02:33pm |
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Jan 28, 2013 04:48am