-
Operation Reunion
- Daring POW Rescue from Romania
- Narrated by: Gary Goebel
- Length: 48 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $3.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
In the middle of August 1944, the Soviet Red Army crossed the eastern border of Romania and threatened the entire position of the Axis in the Balkans. On August 23, Romania's King Michael summoned the head of the government to the royal palace and asked him to break with the Germans and negotiate surrender terms with the Soviet Union. Shortly thereafter, Michael took Romania out of the war and issued an ultimatum that the German forces leave the country within three days. The German commander responded immediately by bombing the royal palace, government offices, and other targets in Bucharest. Amid this military and political chaos, the guards at the prisoner-of-war camps abandoned their posts, and the question of what was the best course for the Allied prisoners was discussed at great length by the prisoners themselves.
Hanging in the balance were the lives of more than 1200 Allied airmen who had crashed or bailed out over Romania and were now trapped in the midst of a war hundreds of miles from friendly territory. Dire action was needed to settle the dire situation. The senior American airman came up with a plan to be flown to Italy aboard a Romanian Air Force airplane, and his arrival there triggered one of history's great and novel mass evacuations.
The late American fighter ace Robert J. Goebel wrote the definitive account of Operation Reunion, and it is proudly presented here.
Related to this topic
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
-
-
Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
- By Cynthia on 12-11-13
By: Jack Weatherford
-
MOVE: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy
- By: Curtis Bryant, Kevin Arbouet
- Narrated by: Tariq Trotter
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This searing audio documentary brings listeners deep inside the unforgettable story of MOVE, gaining unprecedented access to surviving MOVE members, elected officials from the era, eyewitnesses, and historians to create an indelible portrait of an American tragedy.
-
-
Balanced Examination of History
- By James Peacock on 08-14-24
By: Curtis Bryant, and others
-
Complexity
- The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos
- By: M. Mitchell Waldrop
- Narrated by: Mikael Naramore
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a rarified world of scientific research, a revolution has been brewing. Its activists are not anarchists, but rather Nobel Laureates in physics and economics and pony-tailed graduates, mathematicians, and computer scientists from all over the world. They have formed an iconoclastic think-tank and their radical idea is to create a new science: complexity. They want to know how a primordial soup of simple molecules managed to turn itself into the first living cell--and what the origin of life some four billion years ago can tell us about the process of technological innovation today.
-
-
You won't learn anything you didn't know
- By Dennis E. Alwine on 12-26-20
-
Mythology: Mega Collection
- Classic Stories from the Greek, Celtic, Norse, Japanese, Hindu, Chinese, Mesopotamian and Egyptian Mythology
- By: Scott Lewis
- Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser, Oliver Hunt
- Length: 31 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....
-
-
An interesting set of introductions.
- By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19
By: Scott Lewis
-
Great Figures of Latino Heritage
- By: The Great Courses, Khristin Montes
- Narrated by: Khristin Montes
- Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The history of Latino culture in the Americas is much bigger and broader than we often realize. In this place, where the Old World and the New clashed and merged in spectacular fashion over the course of several centuries, we see a microcosm of world history with all its facets and complexities. In the six lectures of Great Figures of Latino History, art historian and anthropologist Dr. Khristin Montes will introduce you to many of the people that have shaped Latino culture and identity on scales both global and local.
-
-
great historical facts
- By yesenia ortega on 09-27-24
By: The Great Courses, and others
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
-
-
Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
- By Cynthia on 12-11-13
By: Jack Weatherford
-
MOVE: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy
- By: Curtis Bryant, Kevin Arbouet
- Narrated by: Tariq Trotter
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This searing audio documentary brings listeners deep inside the unforgettable story of MOVE, gaining unprecedented access to surviving MOVE members, elected officials from the era, eyewitnesses, and historians to create an indelible portrait of an American tragedy.
-
-
Balanced Examination of History
- By James Peacock on 08-14-24
By: Curtis Bryant, and others
-
Complexity
- The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos
- By: M. Mitchell Waldrop
- Narrated by: Mikael Naramore
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a rarified world of scientific research, a revolution has been brewing. Its activists are not anarchists, but rather Nobel Laureates in physics and economics and pony-tailed graduates, mathematicians, and computer scientists from all over the world. They have formed an iconoclastic think-tank and their radical idea is to create a new science: complexity. They want to know how a primordial soup of simple molecules managed to turn itself into the first living cell--and what the origin of life some four billion years ago can tell us about the process of technological innovation today.
-
-
You won't learn anything you didn't know
- By Dennis E. Alwine on 12-26-20
-
Mythology: Mega Collection
- Classic Stories from the Greek, Celtic, Norse, Japanese, Hindu, Chinese, Mesopotamian and Egyptian Mythology
- By: Scott Lewis
- Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser, Oliver Hunt
- Length: 31 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....
-
-
An interesting set of introductions.
- By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19
By: Scott Lewis
-
Great Figures of Latino Heritage
- By: The Great Courses, Khristin Montes
- Narrated by: Khristin Montes
- Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The history of Latino culture in the Americas is much bigger and broader than we often realize. In this place, where the Old World and the New clashed and merged in spectacular fashion over the course of several centuries, we see a microcosm of world history with all its facets and complexities. In the six lectures of Great Figures of Latino History, art historian and anthropologist Dr. Khristin Montes will introduce you to many of the people that have shaped Latino culture and identity on scales both global and local.
-
-
great historical facts
- By yesenia ortega on 09-27-24
By: The Great Courses, and others
What listeners say about Operation Reunion
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carter L.
- 02-26-17
One of the Most Detailed Accounts
Would you listen to Operation Reunion again? Why?
Yes, it's the most concise and detailed account of the effort that I've encountered
Who was your favorite character and why?
The Romanian fighter pilot (I won't try to spell his name) who liaised between the Romanian forces and the Fifteenth Air Force. He seemed charismatic, skilled, resourceful and genuinely committed to saving the American POWs.
Have you listened to any of Gary Goebel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Mr. Goebel is not a professional narrator or actor, but rather is a retired fighter pilot. His father was a renowned Mustang ace and also the author of this work. Mr. Goebel's performance is workmanlike. His voice is not dramatic, but it is clear and more than adequate to tell this story well. His effort to get this story out to a greater audience is commendable.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It's just less than an hour in length, so it was easy to do.
Any additional comments?
This is not a long story, but at the price, it was worth it to me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James
- 07-23-21
Nice story, but we need more history
I enjoyed this story-- I was curious about this as I have listened to and read I Live Again, by Ileana, Princess of Romania and Archduchess of Austria who in later life became Mother Alexandra and learned of the daring rescue from her book.
The story follows a great, factual line, and has insights to the players, such as when the Romanian pilot and the Americans encountered possible enemy confrontations and he deviated a bit from the planned path to see if he had live fire in his plane or if the Americans had shorted it, and reveals how everyday Romanians risked their safety to hide American POWs in their homes to get them out of their country.
I cannot give the story 5 Stars. I know that this is just about Operation Reunion, but there is more that needs to be presented, otherwise most people will only think that Romania had sided with the Germans first, then when weakened, sided with the Allies. There needs to be a foreword that goes into detail about the history of Romania and Russia and why Romanians could not have sided with the Allies in the beginning-- Soviet Russia was a hungry wolf eyeing the delicate and productive little country in the Carpathians, and WWII was an excuse to take it, either at the start or as a "spoils of war" when they would punish the land for fighting them. The Allies wanted Russia to occupy and protect Romania (true, we didn't have the resources to spread) if she sided with the Allies, and Romania knew that she would lose her autonomy if they did that. Romania did not want to be anyone's enemy. The POWs were afraid of the leaving Germans, but they also needed to fear the Soviets. I wonder what happened to those who assisted the POWs in escaping-- Soviet Russia might have loved to have gotten American POWs and extracted information from them, so it wasn't wise for the Allies to wait and find out. There are a few follow ups on some of the helpers, but we may never know the stories of the anonymous helpers who then waited anxiously for the Allies to return and help Romania become free.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!