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    In Enemy Hands: South Africa's POWs in World War II
    Unavailable
    In Enemy Hands: South Africa's POWs in World War II
    Unavailable
    In Enemy Hands: South Africa's POWs in World War II
    Ebook413 pages4 hours

    In Enemy Hands: South Africa's POWs in World War II

    By Karen Horn

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    'To all intents and purposes I am as sexless as a block of wood. To eat is the extreme fundamental of living.' - South African POW, 1942

    Books on World War II abound, yet there are remarkably few publications on South Africa's role in this war, which had such an influence on how we live today. There is even less written about those who participated on the margins of the war, especially those who were physically removed from the battlefields through capture by enemy forces. South Africa's prisoners of war during World War II, their experiences and recollections, are largely forgotten. That is until now. Historian Karen Horn painstakingly tracked down a number of former POWs. Together with written memoirs and archival documents, their interviews reveal rich narratives of hardship, endurance, humour, longing and self-discovery. Instead of fighting, these men adapted to another war, one which was fought on the inside of many prison camps. It was a war against hunger and deprivation, at times against ever-encroaching despondency and low morale amongst their companions in captivity.

    In their interviews, all the POWs expressed surprise at being asked to share their experiences of almost 70 years earlier. The author found it astonishing that almost all of them claimed not to be heroes of any kind. Perhaps this is not surprising when one considers that they returned home in 1945 to a country which soon afterwards tried its utmost to promote national amnesia with regard to its participation in the war. With great insight and empathy, Karen Horn shines a light on a neglected corner of South African history.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJonathan Ball Publishers
    Release dateJun 1, 2015
    ISBN9781868426522
    Unavailable
    In Enemy Hands: South Africa's POWs in World War II
    Author

    Karen Horn

    KAREN HORN is a historian and an author. Her first book, In Enemy Hands: South Africa’s POWs in WWII, was nominated for the Alan Paton Sunday Times non-fiction award in 2016. Horn is a research fellow at the International Studies Group at the University of the Free State. In her work, she investigates individuals’ experiences on the home front and the battlefront, looking for humanity in the fog of war. In her spare time, she observes her husband’s gastronomic skills and has long conversations with her two collies. She lives in Somerset

    Read more from Karen Horn

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