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Airey Neave
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They Have Their Exits: The Best Selling Escape Memoir of World War Two (Pen & Sword Military Classics) Kindle Edition

by Airey Neave (DSO OBE MC) (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,370 ratings
The author of Saturday at M.I.9 and former British soldier recounts his escape from Nazi captivity during World War II in this military memoir.

Wounded and captured at Calais in May 1940, Second Lieutenant Airey Neave wasted little time before attempting to escape. Always a thorn in his captors’ sides, he earned his place in the “escape-proof” Colditz Castle. Undeterred, he had the distinction of being the first British officer to make a “home run,” via Switzerland, Vichy France, and Spain.

Soon back in France working with the French Resistance as a member of M.I.9, rescuing Allied airmen, he found himself playing a leading role saving stranded survivors of 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem.

Neave’s extraordinary memoir continues even after Germany’s surrender. Having arrested the directors of the mighty Krupp empire, he served with the Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal where he came into personal contact with leading Nazis, gaining a unique insight into their characters and deeds.

If ever there was a great and true story well told, it is They Have Their Exits. Reprinted once again it is a fitting memorial to a man of exceptional energy, initiative, and courage.

Praise for They Have Their Exits

“One of the best escape memoirs to emerge from the Second World War, combining the adventure story of most with a deeper examination of the mental impact of captivity and escape, and the stresses and risks all the way along the escape routes.” —History of War
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  1. Print length
    232 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Leo Cooper
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2007
  5. File size
    2.5 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Airey Neave is a former soldier and politician.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00E8HPJEI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Leo Cooper; Reprint edition (September 1, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,370 ratings

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Airey Neave

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,370 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's writing quality excellent and satisfying. They describe the story as engrossing, suspenseful, and a true account of a horrible time in history. The book is described as a great read of heroism and determination.

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13 customers mention "Writing quality"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They appreciate the vivid descriptions of wartime conditions and the soldier's escape from Nazi prisons. The story provides a satisfying and inspiring account of a remarkable man's wartime experiences.

"Mr. Neave had a remarkable career in war and peace. In this concise and engrossing tale, he shares his exploits in WW II of being imprisoned and his..." Read more

"...accounts of SOE and the Royal Navy Submarine service and are well worth reading too (if you can find them)." Read more

"...I must try watching them to compare with this account. Excellently written...." Read more

"good to read and very interesting. but a little wordy but worth reading" Read more

7 customers mention "Story quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story. They find it engaging and suspenseful, describing the author's war escape tale as true. The account is described as a great read about heroism and determination. Readers appreciate the personal account of prisoner of war escapees' mindsets.

"...In this concise and engrossing tale, he shares his exploits in WW II of being imprisoned and his long journey to freedom...." Read more

"An interesting tale of the real life challenge faced buy Allied prisoners of war and the many things that had to come together in order to make an..." Read more

"Excellent war escape tale that was true. Very detailed and suspenseful true account of a horrible time in history I" Read more

"Interesting story of British officer's service in WW 2 from his capture escape and eventual service at the Nuremburg trials...." Read more

3 customers mention "Authenticity"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's authenticity. They say it's a true war escape tale.

"This was a very good book - and true too." Read more

"Excellent war escape tale that was true. Very detailed and suspenseful true account of a horrible time in history I" Read more

"A ripping yarn and all the better because it's true. Read Eric Williams' "The Wooden Horse" for more true and amazing escape drama." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • mike6
    5.0 out of 5 stars Escaper's tale
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2019
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    Mr. Neave had a remarkable career in war and peace. In this concise and engrossing tale, he shares his exploits in WW II of being imprisoned and his long journey to freedom. Originally published in the 50s, it was re-released, and it's a fine piece of WW II history. Well done and quite a story. Sadly he was killed in 1979 in London by IRA terrorists. Such a shame for his life to end this way after years of service to his nation.
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  • Anonymous XYZ
    4.0 out of 5 stars Real life adventures told in a dry way
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Airey Neave was a lot of things, a parliamentarian, an old-Etonian, a soldier, lawyer and one of 20 officers who fully escaped from Colditz to freedom outside WW II Germany. This is the book of his escapes after Dunkirk and of the arduous journey he made to freedom in Switzerland and then across Spain to Great Britain. It ends with his work in the war crimes trials at Nuremburg.
    Neave's style is very dry and doesn't convey the fear and excitement (mostly fear) very well. His literary trick of referring back and forth to Nuremberg and the officers on trial there and to his situation works well but can't hide the dry factual nature of his account. The story is a product of the man and the man was a product of his time, class, and education. That's not to say this isn't a fascinating account but it does lack warmth in places.
    Whilst their not about Colditz Olaf Reed Olsen's "Two Eggs on My Plate" and Teddy Woodward's "One of our submarines" give fascinating and thrilling accounts of SOE and the Royal Navy Submarine service and are well worth reading too (if you can find them).
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Phillip D. Mitchell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read of Heroism and Determination
    Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018
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    An interesting tale of the real life challenge faced buy Allied prisoners of war and the many things that had to come together in order to make an escape attempt a successful endeavour. Neave gives a gripping account of his capture and internment by the Germans during WWII, and his several failed attempts at escape. Each one helping him to learn the dedication and attention to detail that is required to give any escape a chance at success.

    We then get to read about his participation in the trials an Nuremburg after the The war and the small part he played in bringing many of the heads of the German war machine to justice.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Brian
    5.0 out of 5 stars great choice! I instantly thought that this should be ...
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    My wife picked this as an Ebook for me, great choice! I instantly thought that this should be a movie but I suppose there are several already about Colditz escapes. I must try watching them to compare with this account.
    Excellently written. Many examples show the differences between the treatment of officers and other ranks.
    It is hard from the distance of a 70+ year gap, to the comforts of the 21st century to comprehend the endurance of Airey Neave and his companions. The sections where they travel through enemy territory in deep snow, feet frozen like ice, filled me with admiration.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Willis Kilmer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014
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    good to read and very interesting. but a little wordy but worth reading
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  • Online shopper
    4.0 out of 5 stars WWII brave soldiers
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2016
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    This was a very good book - and true too.
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  • sonoffred
    5.0 out of 5 stars The very best of escape stories
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Airy Neave not only writes of his own escape but of the heroism and deprivation suffered by those incarcerated in the most famous of WW2 prison camps. Neave writes with a clarity that is almost chilling at times. The movie tells of the hero's and their escapes, this book vividly describes the conditions they lived under as well as the dangers that those who helped the escaper faced.
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  • p j smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great escape story good read well writtentd
    Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent war escape tale that was true. Very detailed and suspenseful true account of a horrible time in history

    I
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Grandcharles
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent POW escapology
    Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Written with perhaps a little too much Etonian flourish but an exciting tale of escape and evasion. We have no idea today what many of that generation went through in order to survive.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent book,well written.
    I first heard of airey neave when i was stil at school and the ira killed him. My grandfather told me he was the first british officer to escape colditz ( then a popular tv series)
    I have read about him in books about colditz but this is the complete story of his escape.
    The book carries you right through Switzerland france and spain then to england. The gem in this book tells you what happened to escapers when they got back home, not usually in other escape books ive read.
    Airey's writing is serious and doesn't contain the humour that you get in some of these books. This is not a bad thing as it shows that airey didnt see escaping as a sport. Thoroughly enjoyed this book
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  • Cindy Leduc
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great read, I am a WWII history buff, this gave me a lot of Canadian back ground
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  • Timepencil
    4.0 out of 5 stars Airey Neave
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    What a fascinating life Mr Neave lived prior to being assassinated by the usual cowardly IRA bomb as he left the House of Commons. I wanted this book to continue into Mr Neave's life immediately after the war where he delivered the summons to all the defendants at the Nuremburg War Crimes Trial in Germany. However he does give us a sneak preview into the ghastly minds of these Nazi monsters. But Airey Neave did write another book about just these events and I shall read it again, when I can find it that is. In the meantime a very good book, written very well, by a brave and exceptional man.
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  • Scopesie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Calm, Dignified, Inspirational
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The measured writing and matter of fact prose make this remarkable memoir all the more impressive. The sheer courage and tenacity shown by one of the very few successful escapers from the iconic Colditz Castle strike the reader with every twist and turn in the narrative. Equally compelling is the account of dealings with the defeated Nazi High Command as the architects of the Third Reich languished in prison cells of their own at Nuremberg. Neave is a hero in the true sense and his story provides a thought-provoking and entertaining book. Highly recommended.
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