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A Vatican Lifeline '44

The Vatican enclave in Rome was technically a neutral country in World War II, and was utilized by various Allied agents and refugees, as revealed in this previously unknown account.

Hardcover: 248 pages

Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 21, 1996)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1885119224

ISBN-13: 978-1885119223

Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.5 x 9.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,970,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #211 in Books > History > Military > Prisoners of War #2197 in Books > History > Europe > Italy #18353 in Books > History > Military > World War II

As much as we talk, write and create visual and performing art about World War II Italy, it is not widely known that seventy thousand Italians came to the aid of thousands of Allied prisoners of war in spite of Fascism and Nazi occupation. These courageous heros hid, fed and clothed POWs, risking their own lives in order to save those of people they had never met.Captured in Tobruk and transported to Italy in 1942, Major William Cook Simpson first became part of this remarkable movement when he jumped from a German prison truck and went into hiding. Taken in by brave Italians in Sulmona and covertly transferred into Rome, Simpson soon became an integral part of Roman and Vatican efforts to provide POWs with safe haven and evade Gestapo raids until Allied troops arrived.A VATICAN LIFELINE is well written and engaging, and Simpson seems to find the humor in even the most solemn situations. As a result, he manages to convey both the gravity of the time and the camaraderie of this underground movement without taking on the overwhelmingly dismal tone that pervades many accounts of wartime efforts.This book is an enlightening and enjoyable read that will charm history buffs and romantics alike.

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A Vatican Lifeline '44 The Vatican Knights (The Vatican Knights series Book 1) Lifeline: The War of 1812 Along the Upper St. Lawrence River Liturgical Time Bombs In Vatican II: Destruction of the Faith through Changes in Catholic Worship Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II About Infinity, Universe and Worlds.: the philosophy of Giordano Bruno, Burned at Vatican 1600 for his belief in many worlds & denial of afterlife Women in Brackets: A Chronicle of Vatican Power and Control Paintings in the Vatican The Bridge of Bones (The Vatican Knights series Book 5)