This haunting narrative recounts the clandestine transport of Holocaust survivors to Palestine by the Jewish underground and volunteer American seamen. The story is told by the American captain of one of the rescue ships, the Paducah, an aging U.S. gunship sold as surplus after World War II. He begins in May 1947, at the start of the Paducah's six-month voyage, as he and his largely inexperienced crew make their way from New York to Bulgaria, where they retrieve 1,388 refugees. Captain Patzert's poignant memoir of this ...
Read More
This haunting narrative recounts the clandestine transport of Holocaust survivors to Palestine by the Jewish underground and volunteer American seamen. The story is told by the American captain of one of the rescue ships, the Paducah, an aging U.S. gunship sold as surplus after World War II. He begins in May 1947, at the start of the Paducah's six-month voyage, as he and his largely inexperienced crew make their way from New York to Bulgaria, where they retrieve 1,388 refugees. Captain Patzert's poignant memoir of this epochal migration in the face of strong British opposition reads like a novel, but with the uncompromising reality of history in the making. A dramatic true story of political intrigue and sea adventure, Running the Palestine Blockade tells of constant surveillance by the Royal Navy and Air Force, uncharted mines in the Black Sea, and informants bent on sabotaging the mission. Surrounded by British ships for its final run into Palestine, the Paducah didn't have a chance, and everyone aboard was captured and taken to internment camps on Cyprus. There, the brutal conditions Patzert and his men share with the already weakened exiles forge an enduring bond between passengers and crew. The author's transformation from impartial protector of a cast-off population to active supporter of their cause provides an uncommon viewpoint of a momentous journey. In an ironic twist at the end of his tale, Patzert gets to see the Promised Land when he and some of his men are transferred to Palestine, where they then escape to America. Reminiscent of the classic story Exodus, Running the Palestine Blockade captures the bravery, compassion, and indomitable spirit of Europe's war-wrackedrefugees as they navigate the turbulent postwar waters. Captain Patzert's vivid depictions of the unforgettable individuals who embark with him on the Paducah's final voyage complement a moving account that will appeal to a wide range of readers.
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Unread book. Some fading to cover edges. Scratches/scuffs to dustjacket. Marks to textblock edges. Content excellent. 223 p. Contains: Illustrations.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Item in acceptable condition including possible liquid damage. As well answers may be filled in. May be missing DVDs, CDs, Access code, etc. 100%Money-Back Guarantee! Ship within 24 hours! !
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Good condition. Pages are clean and unmarked. Dustjacket is in great condition as well. cover flaps have two bends near the ends. Very slight edgewear. Tulsa's best used bookstore. Located on South Mingo Road since 1991. No-hassle return policy if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. 8vo. Signed & Inscribed by the Author viii, 223pp, index, appendix, bw ills. Or cloth backed boards in jacket. Light foxing to endpapers and page edges. SIGNED and inscribed by author on front free endpaper. The clandestine transport of Holocaust survivors to Palestine by the Jewish underground and volunteer American seamen. The story told by the captain of one of the rescue ships, the Paducah.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good, very good. 24 cm, 223, acid-free paper, illus., appendix, index. The six-month voyage in 1947 of a former U.S. Navy gunboat from New York toPalestine, with a call in Bulgaria to take on 1388 Jewish refugees. Capture and internment in camps on the island of Cyprus.
As thousands of Jews ... skinny, malnourished WWII survivors waited at the Baltic and other points for pick up to Israel, the British tried to scuttle all ships sent to assist them.
They tried to sink the Paducah before she left the East Coast of America, they tried to intercept her in Portugal and deny her fuel in the Baltic and rammed her of Haifa ... boarded her ... sent 1,300 prisoners to Cyprus with barbed wire, gun towers, open sewerage ditches, no medical treatment, 98% infant death rate, 1,300 calories per day of terrible food, flimsy tents in blowing sand and rain ... while a group of German prisoners were given the country club treatment.
A living shame ... to a country with over a hundred years of bullying other third world countries ... England.
