From Dachau to D-Day

'I wanted to give something back to Britain for saving my life. But for all the risks, I never once regretted being part of the biggest invasion force ever to land on the Normandy beaches in June 1944, even though it brought personal losses.'

Willy Field was born Willy Hirschfeld in Bonn, Germany. The morning after Kristallnacht in November 1938 he was arrested by the Gestapo and transported to Dachau concentration camp.

This fascinating book details his horrific experiences as a German Jew in the camp, and how he survived to come to England as a refugee. Sent to Australia and interned as an enemy alien, Willy returned to the UK and in time became a tank driver in the Royal Armoured Corps.

He fought for 11 months on the frontlines in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, at a time when the average life expectancy for a tank driver was mere weeks, and was ultimately sent back into Germany - with a tank.

'Excellent biography' - The Oldie

'Fascinating' - The Jewish News

Dr Helen Fry is a historian who has written extensively on the subject of World War II. Her books include The King's Most Loyal Enemy Aliens, Freud's War and Building the Peace. She is an honorary member of the Association of Jewish Refugees, an ambassador for the Museum of Military Intelligence and President of the Friends of the National Archives.