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