58 | NOVEMBER 17 • 2022 

ARTS&LIFE
BOOK REVIEW

I

t is well-known that Jews did their part 
to defeat Nazi Germany in World War 
II. Many Jewish men and women from 
America, Great Britain, Canada and else-
where in Allied lands joined the military 
and fought the Nazis with 
rifles, tanks, ships and air-
planes. Others, such as the 
“Ritchie Boys” — named 
for the American camp 
where over 20,000 men and 
women were trained — were 
German-speaking Americans 
and immigrants who made 
huge contributions to the Allied victory 
through their interrogations of German 
prisoners-of-war. Nearly a fifth of them, 
like our own local Ritchie Boy, Wayne State 
University Professor Emeritus Dr. Guy 
Stern, were Jewish.
A recent book, X-Troop: The Secret 
Jewish Commandos Who Helped Defeat the 
Nazis by Leah Garrett, however, reveals 
the ultimate level of Jewish participation 
in the war. This top-secret unit took the 
fight to the enemy, attacking Nazis behind 
the front lines as well as interrogating pris-
oners on the battlefield. Like 
other commandos, they were 
highly trained, the toughest of 
the tough. But, unlike other 
commandos, X-Troopers were 
largely Jewish men who had 
escaped the Nazis occupation 
of Europe. They really had a 
serious loathing for Hitler and 
his followers.
Garrett, director and profes-
sor of Jewish Studies at Hunter 
College, CUNY, conducted 
painstaking, extensive research for her book. 
She visited archives around the world and 
searched recently declassified top-secret 
files. Although she notes that more files 

will be declassified in the future, 
Garrett’s exhaustive work results in 
an outstanding history of X-Troop, 
most of which was unwritten until 
her book debuted.
Garret also gives X-Troop a decidedly per-
sonal touch. Much of her story is told by the 
commandos themselves as well as through 
living family members and associates. This 
is one of the strengths of the book.
The story of X-Troop — to be precise, 
No. 10 (Inter-allied Commando), 3 Troop 
— begins in 1942 when Churchill created 
this top-secret commando unit. It was not 
the first or only commando unit. During 
the darkest days for the Allies in 1940, when 
there was a need for small victories if noth-
ing else, Great Britain developed the first 
commandos. These were men who were 
extensively trained in personal combat skills 
for missions behind enemy lines. 
X-Troop, however, was special. Most of its 
87 members were refugees from Germany 
or Austria. Many had lost family members 
during the Holocaust, and they all hated the 
Nazis. For a measure of protection if cap-
tured, they were given British cover names 
and histories once they signed-
up for X-Troop.
Garrett provides a fine 
account of the missions and 
battles in which members of 
X-Troop participated, as well 
as their pre-combat training 
in Wales and Scotland. This is 
the critical where, when and 
how of the story. But what 
really carries the book over the 
threshold from a detailed, solid 
history into a compelling nar-
rative is her focus on the who of X-Troop. 
Although she writes about a number of the 
unit’s members, their wide-ranging educa-
tion, social pre-war social-status and expe-

riences once they fled the clutches of the 
Nazis, Garrett focuses much of her attention 
on three X-Troopers to great effect: Peter 
Arany who became Peter Masters; Manfred 
Gans (Fred Gray) and Claus Ascher (Colin 
Anson). After the war, by the way, many of 
the men maintained their Anglo names and 
their Jewish traditions. 
Garrett begins her book with personal 
stories of X-Trooper experiences before 
joining the commandos. How they escaped 
Nazi occupation and their plight as sec-
ond-class citizens in the UK (including a 
harrowing tale of deportation to Australia), 
the prejudice against them and their labors 
in Pioneer Brigades or work brigades before 
they could join the military. Despite the 
obstacles, they answered the call to join 
X-Troop.
After extensive, grueling training, the 
Jewish commandos would play a critical role 
on D-Day and, subsequently, fight, sabotage 
and interrogate their way into the heart of 
Germany. In one spectacular mission, and 
perhaps the most touching story of the 
book, one of the commandos rescued his 
parents from the Theresienstadt concentra-
tion camp. By the end of WWII, the combat 
record of X-Troop would have few equals. 
X-Troop is a fine work of historiography. 
For some readers, the details of particular 
missions might be a bit more than they 
might wish; military history buffs will be 
thrilled with these finely crafted reports. 
Any reader will, however, greatly appreciate 
the personal stories of some of the toughest 
Jewish fighters of World War II and their 
contribution to defeating the Nazis. This is a 
good read. 

X-Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos 
Who Helped Defeat the Nazis, Leah Garrett 
(Mariner Books: Boston), 2021.

A Top Secret 
WWII Unit

Mike Smith

Leah 
Garrett 

JEREMY COLLINS

