X Troop: the Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II

Date / time: 31 May, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

X Troop: the Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II

June 1942. The shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain on Kindertransport.

The resulting volunteers are a motley group of intellectuals, artists, and athletes, most from Germany and Austria. Many have been interned as enemy aliens, and have lost their families, their homes—their whole worlds. They will stop at nothing to defeat the Nazis. Trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat, this top-secret unit becomes known as X Troop. Some simply call them a suicide squad.

Drawing on extensive original research, including interviews with the last surviving members, Leah Garrett will tell the astonishing story of these secret shock troops and their devastating blows against the Nazis. She will explore how this unique band of brothers from Germany to England and back again, with stops at British internment camps, training in Wales, the beaches of Normandy, the battlefields of Italy and Holland, and the hellscape of Terezin concentration camp – the scene of one of the most dramatic, untold rescues of the war.

This virtual talk, hosted by Professor Nathan Abrams, Bangor University, will be delivered by Professor Leah Garrett of Hunter College, CCNY. To register, please visit: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=VUxHxiOpKk2b1OzjcUjbsldeVg-MGx5DiInwyiHlc51UMUhEMFBGOVJDWTgzM0pYRUNXRjFTMVdZUi4u

For further information, please contact n.abrams@bangor.ac.uk