A Vatican Lifeline: Allied Fugitives Aided by the Italian Resistance Foil the Gestapo in Nazi-Occupied Rome, 1944 by William C. Simpson

A Vatican Lifeline: Allied Fugitives Aided by the Italian Resistance Foil the Gestapo in Nazi-Occupied Rome, 1944 by William C. Simpson lands on the shelves of my shop.

Leo Cooper, 1995, Hardback in dust wrapper.

Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Maps to the endpapers and blanks;

From the cover: It is a widely held belief that the Italians in the Second World War failed to win much in the way of martial glory. But the scoffers tend to overlook the fact that most Italians had little or no feeling of animosity towards the Allies, and to wage war against an enemy with whom you have no quarrel is a contradiction in terms.

How real this contradiction was is vividly portrayed in William Simpsons dramatic account of his time in Rome after the fall of Mussolini and Italys withdrawal from the war in September, 1943, when thousands of Allied Prisoners of War, let loose in surrendered Italy, fell prey to occupying Nazi Forces. Simpson, an escaped POW, managed, after some hair-raising adventures, to find his way to Rome and soon discovered how widespread was the support of the Italians for the Allies and how deep-seated their hatred of the Nazis.

His adventures during the months before the Allies finally liberated Rome, helping to house and feed hundreds of Allied prisoners on the run, make compulsive reading and leave one in no doubt of the extraordinary bravery of the very many Italians who came to their aid. But the outstanding hero of this dramatic story is Monsignor OFlaherty, who, with remarkable sang froid, used the somewhat precarious neutrality of the Vatican where he was employed to help Simpson and his fellow fugitives.

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper. Price Clipped. Edges of the text block lightly spotted. Text complete, clean and tight.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. [X] 230 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!

Operation Millennium by Shaun Clarke

Operation Millennium by Shaun Clarke lands on the shelves of my shop.

Simon & Schuster, 1999, Hardback in dust wrapper.

From the cover: Britain is in the grip of millennium fever, as reactionary forces attempt to overthrow the infrastructure of the Establishment by any means necessary. Widespread social breakdown has led to paranoid religious and political movements enticing vulnerable people to their top-secret retreats, where they are brainwashed and turned into fanatics. The disenfranchised, disillusioned die-hard remains of societys forgotten dream are up in arms, with the fearful megalomaniac, Prince, as their leader. After planting several bombs in key London locations, their next target is Buckingham Palace and the Royal family

The only way to combat the threat of insurrection is by employing the QRF Quick Reaction Force with SAS Sergeant Lenny Cusack at the helm. The QRF is a legend in its own time, having successfully tackled every kind of terrorist threat, but pitted against the fervent genius of Prince its steely strength is tested to the maximum. And, while Cusack is undoubtedly the SASs hardest man, he is grief-stricken by the loss of his family to one of the religious groups he now finds himself up against

Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Printers stamp to the title page otherwise a very well presented copy.

Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 340 pages. 9½” x 6¼”.

Of course, if you don’t like this one there are plenty more available here!