دانلود کتاب Prisoner of the Swiss: A World War II Airman's Story

During World War II, 1,517 members of US aircrews were forced to seek asylum in Switzerland. Most neutral countries found reason to release US airmen from internment, but Switzerland took its obligations under the Hague Convention more seriously than most. The airmen were often incarcerated in local jails, and later transferred to prison camps. The worst of these camps was Wauwilermoos, where at least 161 U.S. airmen were sent for the honorable offense of escaping.To this hellhole came Dan Culler, the author of this incredible account of suffering and survival. Not only did the prisoners sleep on lice-infested straw, were malnourished and had virtually no hygiene facilities or access to medical care but worse, the commandant of Wauwilermoos was a diehard Swiss Nazi. He allowed the mainly criminal occupants of the camp to torture and rape Dan Culler with impunity. After many months of such treatment, starving and ravaged by disease, he was finally aided by a British officer.Betrayal dominated his cruel fate - by the American authorities, by the Swiss, and in a last twist in a second planned escape that turned out to be a trap. But Dan Culler’s courage and determination kept him alive. Finally making it back home, he found he had been abandoned again. Political expediency meant there was no such place as Wauwilermoos. He has never been there, so he has never been a POW and didn't qualify for any POW benefits or medical or mental treatment for his many physical and emotional wounds. His struggle to make his peace with his past forms the final part of the story.Rob Morris’s introduction and notes provide historical background and context, including recent efforts to recognize the suffering of those incarcerated in Switzerland and afford them full POW status.Table of ContentsForeword: The Historical and Legal Origins id Swiss NeutralityFinal Notes on Swiss NeutralityEditor's Note to the 2017 Revised EditionPart I: The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos1. Beginnings2, Combat3. Missions4. Shot Down and Internment Camp5. Interned at Adelboden6. The First Escape7. Entering the Gates of Hell8. The Depths of Despair9. Hospital10. The Second Escape11. Out of the Depths12. The Return to England13. Interrogation in London14. Home Again15. Endings16. The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos Returns17. Appendix to the Original 1995 Edition of "The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos"Part II: Aftermath18. Moving On19. Andre Beguin and General Barnwell Rhett Legge20. Recognition at LastSelected Bibliography and Sources