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Monica Porter
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Children Against Hitler: The Young Resistance Heroes of the Second World War Kindle Edition

by Monica Porter (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 122 ratings
“A fitting memorial to the children who risked (and so often lost) their lives in resisting the Nazi war machine . . . extraordinary, unique, informative.” —Midwest Book Review

Readers of all generations have grown up on The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier’s bestselling tale of children under wartime occupation, but few know the real life stories of the children and teenagers who went further and actually stood up to the Nazis. Here, for the first time, Monica Porter gathers together their stories from many corners of occupied Europe, showing how in a variety of audacious and inventive ways children as young as six resisted the Nazi menace, risking and sometimes even sacrificing their brief lives in the process: a heroism that until now has largely gone unsung.

These courageous youngsters came from all classes and backgrounds. There were high school dropouts and social misfits, brainy bookworms, the children of farmers and factory workers. Some lost their entire families to the war, yet fought on alone. Often more adept and fearless at resistance than adults, they exuded an air of guilelessness and could slip more easily under the Nazi radar. But as nets tightened, many were captured, tortured or imprisoned, some paying the highest price—a life cut short by execution before they had even turned eighteen.

These children were motivated by different ideals; patriotism, political conviction, their Christian beliefs, or revulsion at the brutality of the Third Reich. But what united them was their determination to strike back at an enemy which had deprived them of their freedom, their dignity—and their childhood.
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  1. Print length
    179 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword History
  4. Publication date
    April 30, 2020
  5. File size
    6.2 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fitting memorial to the children who risked (and so often lost) their lives in resisting the Nazi war machine..."
Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Monica Porter is a London-based journalist who has written for dozens of British newspapers and magazines. She is well-placed to write about wartime resistance, as one of her five previously published books is “Deadly Carousel: A Singer’s Story of the Second World War”, about her own mother Vali Racz's rescue of Jewish friends in Nazi-occupied Budapest in 1944, for which she was honoured by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations. For more information about Monica’s work see www.monicaporter.co.uk.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B086WNQC6Z
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword History (April 30, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 30, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 179 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 122 ratings

About the author

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Monica Porter

Monica Porter

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Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1952, Monica emigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1956 and grew up mainly in New York before moving to London in 1970. Although she initially trained to be an actress, she became a professional journalist in 1974, starting as staff writer on the weekly Local Government Chronicle. She turned freelance after the birth of her first son in 1978.

Monica has written for many leading British newspapers, including the Daily Mail, for which she has been writing the popular weekly column, Missing and Found, since 1999. Other papers to which she has contributed features include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Express, The Evening Standard, Jewish Chronicle and Press Gazette.

Her work has also appeared in magazines - e.g. Eve, Real, Woman's Journal, Good Housekeeping, Saga Magazine and Reader's Digest.

Monica' experience in radio broadcasting began in the Seventies when she wrote and produced weekly programmes for Radio Free Europe's Hungarian section. During the Nineties she scripted ten 12-minute Personal View talks on a variety of themes for the BBC World Service, as well as several three-minute talks for the commercial station London News Radio.

She is the author of seven books - The Paper Bridge: A Return to Budapest (1981 and reprinted 2009), Deadly Carousel: A Singer's Story of the Second World War (1990 and reprinted 2006), and Dreams and Doorways: Turning Points in the Early Lives of Famous People (1993), Long Lost: The Story of the Newspaper Column That Started the Reunion Industry (2010), Raven: My Year of Dating Dangerously (2014 and 2020), Children Against Hitler: The Young Resistance Heroes of the Second World War (2020), and Benny and Bobby Versus Adolf: How Two Lab Mice Took on an Evil Empire (2022).

She has two children and four grandchildren and lives in London.

Monica Porter's website is www.monicaporter.co.uk.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
122 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Michael Campbell- Young
    5.0 out of 5 stars UNPUTTADOWNABLE .RIVETING READING
    Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Reads like a novel, so well written. The bravery in the face of pure evil, must inspire brave young people resisting ruthless dictators everywhere.
    Zimbabwe comes to mind.
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  • AnnieB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Striking history of young resistance fighters in WW2
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2020
    Children Against Hitler is a historical look at the youngest members of the resistance during WW2. Released 30th April 2020 by Pen and Sword books, it's 184 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

    I have always enjoyed reading history and found the stories of these young ww2 resistance fighters both touching and incredible. My father-in-law, born at the end of the war, in occupied Norway, was too young to make any substantive difference, but the stories his friends tell of stealing and destroying the boots from the occupying soldiers' barracks, hiding resources (several families hid and raised a pig together in the forest near Bergen), sabotaging vehicles, stealing materials and supplies, guerilla warfare, and more, are scary and sometimes funny/sad. A lot of kids were used as couriers since they were less likely to be stopped and questioned, but the ones who were caught were viciously punished. These stories are equally enthralling. There were only a few of these names which were previously familiar to me and I came away from the read with a renewed respect for the sacrifice and commitment of these children and their families.

    I see more clearly than ever the danger we face in the current world-wide craziness and I can only hope and pray we're not doomed to repeat history. I can only wish all our kids could have the gift of an unencumbered childhood.

    Five stars. Well worth a read. Deeply moving.

    Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Vivien Geddes
    5.0 out of 5 stars These real-life human stories of heroic kids had me on the edge of my seat
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    War stories of dare-devil men putting themselves in danger for their country are not for me.
    But these human stories of heroic kids had me on the edge of my seat...… I was right there with them as they used their guile and youthful ingenuity to outwit the bad guys. Like the Famous Five for adults, but for real.
    In Monica Porter's very readable book these brave children have been fleshed out and brought to life. I found myself heartened when their missions succeeded, and sad for those who achieved so much but in the end did not survive to tell their tale themselves.
    A fine tribute to these amazing children.
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  • Madrilena
    5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom Wins Everytime
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book illustrates that brutal repression does not work Bravery comes in many forms.People and young children have hidden reserves ,this what sets them apart from cruel regimes
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  • Anya
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    An impressively researched and vividly written anthology of real-life WW2 derring-do. These tales of valour and sacrifice bring to light the young protagonists' strength of character and commitment to the Resistance throughout Europe. Highly recommended.
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  • Gina
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and unforgettable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Previously little known resistance stories about the acts of astonishing youngsters. A must read for everyone, but especially for today's teenagers.
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  • Jeremy Chandler
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account of youthful heroism
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    For anyone interested in WW2, and the exploits of the Resistance to Fascism , this is a fascinating account of youthful heroism, covering many countries, from Denmark to Switzerland. Well written and thoroughly recommended.
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