Ritchie Boy Secrets
How a Force of Immigrants and Refugees Helped Win World War II
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Ritchie Boy Secrets
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Narrated by:
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Bob Souer
About this listen
In June 1942, the US Army began recruiting immigrants, the children of immigrants, refugees, and others with language skills and knowledge of enemy lands and cultures for a special military intelligence group being trained in the mountains of northern Maryland and sent into Europe and the Pacific. Ultimately, 15,000 men and some women received this specialized training and went on to make vital contributions to victory in World War II. This is their story, which Beverley Driver Eddy tells thoroughly and colorfully, drawing heavily on interviews with surviving Ritchie Boys.
The army recruited not just those fluent in German, French, Italian, and Polish (approximately a fifth were Jewish refugees from Europe), but also Arabic, Japanese, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Turkish, and other languages — as well as some 200 Native Americans and 200 WACs. They were trained in photo interpretation, terrain analysis, POW interrogation, counterintelligence, espionage, signal intelligence (including pigeons), mapmaking, intelligence gathering, and close combat.
Many landed in France on D-Day. Many more fanned out across Europe and around the world completing their missions, often in cooperation with the OSS and Counterintelligence Corps, sometimes on the front lines, often behind the lines. The Ritchie Boys’ intelligence proved vital during the liberation of Paris and the Battle of the Bulge. They helped craft the print and radio propaganda that wore down German homefront morale. If caught, they could have been executed as spies. After the war they translated and interrogated at the Nuremberg trials. One participated in using war criminal Klaus Barbie as an anti-communist agent. Meanwhile, Ritchie Boys in the Pacific Theater of Operations collected intelligence in Burma and China, directed bombing raids in New Guinea and the Philippines, and fought on Okinawa and Iwo Jima.
This is a different kind of World War II story, and Eddy tells it with conviction, supported by years of research and interviews.
©2021 Beverley Driver Eddy (P)2021 Rowman & LittlefieldListeners also enjoyed...
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
The story of America's astounding industrial mobilization during World War II has been told. But what has never been chronicled before Paul Dickson's The Rise of the G. I. Army, 1940-1941 is the extraordinary transformation of America's military from a disparate collection of camps with dilapidated equipment into a well-trained and spirited army 10 times its prior size in little more than 18 months.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Impact of Leadership
- By Amazon Customer on 11-06-20
By: Paul Dickson
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Project 9: The Birth of the Air Commandos in World War II
- American Military Experience, Book 1
- By: Dennis R. Okerstrom
- Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
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Story5 out of 5 stars 5
Project 9: The Birth of the Air Commandos in World War II is a thoroughly researched narrative of the Allied joint project to invade Burma by air. Beginning with its inception at the Quebec Conference of 1943 and continuing through Operation Thursday until the death of the brilliant British General Orde Wingate in March 1944, less than a month after the successful invasion of Burma, Project 9 details all aspects of this covert mission.
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Rice Paddy Recon
- A Marine Officer's Second Tour in Vietnam, 1968-1970
- By: Andrew R. Finlayson
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 111
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 95
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 95
A young US Marine officer recounts his experiences of the Vietnam War over a 19-month period. He graphically describes what it was like to perform three distinct combat missions: long-range ground reconnaissance in the Annamite Mountains of I Corps, infantry operations in the rice paddies and mountains of Quang Nam Province, and special police operations for the CIA in Tay Ninh province. Using official Marine Corps unit histories, CIA documents, and his weekly letters home, the author relies almost exclusively on primary sources in providing an accurate and honest account.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Somnipherous
- By Cameleer on 09-10-21
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Generals in the Making
- How Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, and Their Peers Became the Commanders Who Won World War II
- By: Benjamin Runkle
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 18 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 26
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
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Story5 out of 5 stars 22
Shakespeare famously wrote that some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Part military history and part group biography, Generals in the Making tells the true story of how George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, and their peers became the greatest generation of senior commanders in military history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great survey of the military upbringing of WWII’s most prominent Army generals.
- By Kristi on 05-20-24
By: Benjamin Runkle
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The Hardest Place
- The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley
- By: Wesley Morgan
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 21 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 179
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 156
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Story5 out of 5 stars 155
Of the many battlefields on which U.S. troops and intelligence operatives fought in Afghanistan, one remote corner of the country stands as a microcosm of the American campaign: the Pech and its tributary valleys in Kunar and Nuristan. The area’s rugged, steep terrain and thick forests made it a natural hiding spot for local insurgents and international terrorists alike, and it came to represent both the valor and futility of America’s two-decade-long Afghan war.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A walk through time
- By Brandon Kennedy on 04-12-21
By: Wesley Morgan
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X Troop
- The Secret Jewish Commandos of World War II
- By: Leah Garrett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 97
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 88
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Story5 out of 5 stars 84
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. 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.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very amazing and moving story!
- By Jonathan D. Feldman on 09-18-21
By: Leah Garrett
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Hal Moore
- A Soldier Once…and Always
- By: Mike Guardia
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 108
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 100
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Story5 out of 5 stars 101
Hal Moore, one of the most admired American combat leaders of the last 50 years, has until now been best known to the public for being portrayed by Mel Gibson in the movie We Were Soldiers. In this biography, we finally learn the full story of one of America's true military heroes. A 1945 graduate of West Point, Moore's first combats occurred during the Korean War, where he fought in the battles of Old Baldy, T-Bone, and Pork Chop Hill.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hal Moore was one heck of a Soldier
- By Arch Angel on 09-03-24
By: Mike Guardia
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Invisible Heroes of World War II
- Extraordinary Wartime Stories of Ordinary People
- By: Jerry Borrowman
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 229
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 211
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 210
Invisible Heroes of World War II documents 10 fascinating true stories of a diverse group of soldiers and noncombatants from all over the world, including African Americans, women, and Native Americans, who fought with the Allies during World War II. These heroes made significant contributions in the war effort, and sometimes gave their lives for freedom and liberty, often without much recognition or fanfare. All served with valor and distinction as part of the massive Allied forces who fought to free the world from tyranny and oppression.
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5 out of 5 stars
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EXCELLENT AND INSPIRING!
- By B. ADAMS on 12-22-20
By: Jerry Borrowman
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Donovan's Devils
- OSS Commandos Behind Enemy Lines - Europe, World War II
- By: Albert Lulushi
- Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 368
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 326
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 323
The OSS - Office of Strategic Services - created under the command of William Donovan, has been celebrated for its cloak-and-dagger operations during World War II and as the precursor of the CIA. As the "Oh So Social", it has also been portrayed as a club for the well-connected before, during, and after the war.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Unique Look
- By Darren Sapp on 03-09-17
By: Albert Lulushi
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Chesty
- The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC
- By: Colonel Jon T. Hoffman USMCR
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 23 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 615
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 550
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Story5 out of 5 stars 548
The Marine Corps is known for its heroes, and Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller has long been considered the greatest of them all. His assignments and activities covered an extraordinary spectrum of warfare. With his bulldog face, barrel chest (which earned him the nickname Chesty), gruff voice, and common touch, Puller became - and has remained - the epitome of the marine combat officer. Author Jon Hoffman has been given special access to Puller's personal papers as well as his personnel record. The result will unquestionably stand as the last word about Chesty Puller.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book great man good read
- By Just_Shoppin on 07-10-18
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The Force
- The Legendary Special Ops Unit and WWII's Mission Impossible
- By: Saul David
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 90
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 79
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Story4 out of 5 stars 78
In December of 1943, as Nazi forces sprawled around the world and the future of civilization hung in the balance, a group of highly trained US and Canadian soldiers from humble backgrounds was asked to do the impossible: capture a crucial Nazi stronghold perched atop stunningly steep cliffs. The men were a rough-and-ready group, assembled from towns nested in North America's most unforgiving terrain, where many of them had struggled through the Great Depression relying on canny survival skills and the fearlessness of youth.
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5 out of 5 stars
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well Done
- By Barbara on 11-18-19
By: Saul David
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The Jedburghs
- The Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France 1944
- By: Will Irwin
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 158
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 97
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 102
The first full history of the pioneering Special Forces units of World War II, dropped behind German lines into France to assist with the D-Day landings, told by a former U.S. Special Forces colonel with unique access to surviving veterans.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Really Enjoyed It
- By Alex on 01-19-06
By: Will Irwin
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The Last Battle
- When US and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe
- By: Stephen Harding
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 475
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 431
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 426
May 1945. Hitler is dead, and the Third Reich is little more than smoking rubble. No GI wants to be the last man killed in action against the Nazis. But for cigar-chewing, rough-talking, hard-drinking, hard-charging Captain Jack Lee and his men, there is one more mission: rescue 14 prominent French prisoners held in an SS-guarded castle high in the Austrian Alps. It's a dangerous mission, but Lee has help from a decorated German Wehrmacht officer and his men, who voluntarily join the fight.
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3 out of 5 stars
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A Maddening Book
- By Reggie on 09-23-17
By: Stephen Harding
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Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot
- By: Starr Smith, Walter Cronkite
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Of all the celebrities who served their country during World War II - and they were legion - Jimmy Stewart was unique. On December 7, when the attack on Pearl Harbor woke so many others to the reality of war, Stewart was already in uniform - as a private on guard duty south of San Francisco at the Army Air Corps Moffet Field. Seeing war on the horizon, Jimmy Stewart, at the height of his fame after Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and his Oscar-winning turn in The Philadelphia Story in 1940, had enlisted several months earlier.
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3 out of 5 stars
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After-action intelligence report
- By David on 04-20-18
By: Starr Smith, and others
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War of Shadows
- Codebreakers, Spies, and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East
- By: Gershom Gorenberg
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 86
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 70
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 70
As World War II raged in North Africa, General Erwin Rommel was guided by an uncanny sense of his enemies' plans and weaknesses. In the summer of 1942, he led his Axis army swiftly and terrifyingly toward Alexandria, with the goal of overrunning the entire Middle East. Each step was informed by detailed updates on British positions. The Nazis, somehow, had a source for the Allies' greatest secrets.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Interesting history: mediocre narration.
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 06-12-22
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By Water Beneath the Walls
- The Rise of the Navy SEALs
- By: Benjamin H. Milligan
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 22 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 429
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 384
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Story5 out of 5 stars 383
How did the US Navy - the branch of the US military tasked with patrolling the oceans - ever manage to produce a unit of raiders trained to operate on land? And how, against all odds, did that unit become one of the world’s most elite commando forces, routinely striking thousands of miles from the water on the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, even Central Africa?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Extra. Ordinary.
- By Anonymous User on 12-15-21
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Otto Skorzeny
- The Devil’s Disciple
- By: Stuart Smith
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 108
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 96
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Story4 out of 5 stars 95
SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny became a legend in his own time. "Hitler's favorite commando" acquired a reputation as a man of daring, renowned for his audacious 1943 mission to extricate Mussolini from a mountain-top prison. He could be brave and resourceful, but was also a notorious egoist and an unrepentant Nazi until the end of his life. Stuart Smith draws on years of in-depth research to uncover the truth about Skorzeny's career and complex personality.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Balanced and fascinating story of Skorzeny
- By MortonC on 04-14-19
By: Stuart Smith
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Surprise, Kill, Vanish
- The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins
- By: Annie Jacobsen
- Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
- Length: 19 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,995
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,388
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Story5 out of 5 stars 4,372
From Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen, the untold story of the CIA's secret paramilitary units.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Lots of facts, offset by too much fiction
- By Steve M on 05-24-19
By: Annie Jacobsen
What listeners say about Ritchie Boy Secrets
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Margaret
- 01-08-22
An excellent book with some serious down sides
Overall, this was excellent. The author did a great job, which was not upheld by the production staff. I wish there were a link to the lavish illustrations referred to in the foreword.
There are several breaks in the recording, which are abrupt and disconcerting. I have no idea how much material was left out, but there is no continuity with what follows.
Another annoyance was persistent mispronunciation of “Hagerstown,” “non-com,” and most Japanese names. The narrator was otherwise excellent.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- George Q. Bissonnette
- 01-05-22
Refund, please.
60 minutes ran a segment on this group which was fascinating.
I couldn’t get in to this book too far due to its profound prolixity.
Found reader annoying too.
Lost my “raison d’etre”
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Don
- 01-08-22
As seen on 60 minutes
To many statistics which somewhat made the book somewhat un interesting . I expected individual stories
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