The Perfect Horse
The Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis
1 of 1 copy available
“Hard to put down . . . One need not be an equestrian or horse lover in order to appreciate this story.”—New York Journal of Books
WINNER OF THE PEN AWARD FOR RESEARCH NONFICTION
In the chaotic last days of the war, a small troop of American soldiers captures a German spy and makes an astonishing find—his briefcase is empty but for photos of beautiful white horses that have been stolen and kept on a secret farm behind enemy lines. Hitler has stockpiled the world’s finest purebreds in order to breed an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in danger of being slaughtered for food.
With hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army’s last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision—with General George Patton’s blessing—to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed’s determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines to save the horses.
An exhilarating tale of adventure, courage, and sacrifice, The Perfect Horse brings to life one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valor.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 23, 2016 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780735285095
- File size: 368472 KB
- Duration: 12:47:38
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 1080
- Text Difficulty: 7-9
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Reviews
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The American rescue of the famous Lipizzaner stallions and rare Arabian horses from the advancing Russians at the end of WWII is a behind-enemy-lines race against time. The Germans valued the famous horses, but the Russians would likely have slaughtered them. Paul Boehmer's narration is melodic and deliberate as he outlines the background of the Nazi eugenics program as applied to horse breeding and the personnel who rode and trained the horses. Boehmer's facility with Eastern European names and places is apparent. In tune with Letts's prose, Boehmer ramps-up the drama for the flight of the horses out of war-torn Vienna and Hostau, Czechoslovakia, the nighttime ride by the son of a U.S. senator to negotiate the animals' safety, and the passage of the "orphan horses" across the ocean to the United States. A.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
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