The Evaders

In the tradition of the great escape classics, this World War II adventure story offers a thrilling first-person account of the escape of Allied soldiers from behind German lines following the debacle at Arnhem, a September 1944 battle in Holland that resulted in eight thousand Allied casualties out of a force of ten thousand. Hidden by the Dutch Resistance in an area occupied by several divisions of German combat troops, some 250 men, singly and in groups, made their daring escapes, among the most remarkable of the war. This saga of human ingenuity and courage is told by one of the evaders himself, Leo Heaps. A Canadian paratrooper taken prisoner during the battle, Heaps managed to jump from a moving train on its way to Germany and escape. He subsequently returned to Holland and organized the successful rescues of other Arnhem survivors, earning a Military Cross for his actions. In this book he interweaves the stories of the men who escaped with those of the brave Dutch people who helped them. It is a moving portrayal of heroism and compassion told with a literary vigor that keeps readers enthralled. Book jacket.

Leo Heaps served with the British Army during the last year of the war in Europe and after the war drew on his experience in the British Special Air Service to assist the Israelis. During the Hungarian revolution he organized a special rescue squad that helped hundreds of fleeing refugees. At the time of his death in 1995, he had become a noted playwright, novelist, and art historian with several critically acclaimed works to his credit.