Title
Home from Siberia: The Secret Odysseys of Interned American Airmen in World War II (Texas A&M University Military History Series,Used
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As war spread across the world at the end of 1941, the Soviet Union found itself between a rock known as Nazi Germany and a hard place called imperial Japan. With all its forces battling Germany in the west, the Soviet Union had to keep peace on its isolated and vulnerable eastern borders. To avoid risking its status as a neutral country in the war between the United States and Japan, the Soviet Union interned many American flyers who crashed or made emergency landings in Soviet territory after bombing Japanese targets.This is the longsecret and nearly forgotten story of how the Soviet commissariat for internal affairs interned 291 young Americans in Siberia and, at the risk of war on a second front, eventually smuggled four groups of them (and released another after the wars end) to south central Asia and finally across the Iranian border. In Iran American officials swore the airmen to secrecy and confiscated any items that would indicate they had been in the Soviet Union. Like the oft repeated guideline 'Name, rank, and serial number,' the brief phrase 'in a neutral country' was the only permissible explanation for the flyers whereabouts. Official U.S. military records of the internments, many declassified as recently as 1986, are impersonal and sketchy. To tell the story in its entirety, Otis Hays, Jr., sought out surviving airmen. Some had blotted this secret episode from their memories or found it too painful to relive, but others had smuggled rudimentary diaries out of the Soviet Union and helped piece together the tale.
⚠️ WARNING (California Proposition 65):
This product may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
For more information, please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
- Q: What is the main topic of 'Home from Siberia'? A: 'Home from Siberia' recounts the secret internment of 291 American airmen by the Soviet Union during World War II, detailing their experiences and the efforts to keep this episode hidden.
- Q: Who is the author of 'Home from Siberia'? A: The book is authored by Otis Hays, Jr., who conducted interviews with surviving airmen to gather their stories.
- Q: What is the book's publication date? A: 'Home from Siberia' was published on January 1, 1990.
- Q: What is the book's genre? A: 'Home from Siberia' falls under the genre of military history, specifically focusing on American airmen during World War II.
- Q: How many pages does the book have? A: The book contains 232 pages.
- Q: What is the condition of the book being sold? A: The book is listed as 'New'.
- Q: What format is 'Home from Siberia' available in? A: 'Home from Siberia' is available in hardcover format.
- Q: Is this book part of a series? A: Yes, it is part of the Texas A&M University Military History Series, specifically volume 16.
- Q: What notable features does the book include? A: The book is described as a used book in good condition, which indicates it has been previously owned but remains in a satisfactory state.
- Q: Does the book include any illustrations or maps? A: The product details do not specify the inclusion of illustrations or maps, focusing instead on the narrative of the airmen's experiences.