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Leo Heaps

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Escape From Arnhem: A Canadian Among the Lost Paratroops (Memoirs from World War Two) Kindle Edition

by Leo Heaps (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 662 ratings

Part of: Memoirs from World War Two (6 books)

in Historical Canadian Biographies

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The remarkable true story of a Canadian paratrooper’s escape from behind enemy lines following the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944.

Ideal for readers of James Holland, Anthony Beevor and Cornelius Ryan.

On September 17, 1944, over 8,000 men of the British 1st Airborne Division landed in German-occupied Netherlands as part of the largest airborne invasion ever undertaken. Twenty-two-year-old Canadian paratrooper Leo Heaps was one of them.

Told with authenticity and clarity, Heaps’ personal account of the nightmare battle fought after the paratroopers dropped at Oosterbeek paints a remarkably vivid picture of one of the most dramatic and little-known events of the Second World War.

Captain Leo Heaps volunteered to serve with the British Army early in 1944 and arrived in England in May of that year. Attached to the Dorset Infantry Regiment, he took part in the D-Day assault on Normandy in June. After twelve days, he was wounded and returned to England. In August, he applied to join a British Parachute Regiment and was accepted. A mere three weeks later, Heaps made his first and only jump as the Arnhem assault commenced.

Escape from Arnhem is a powerful and personal account of a young man’s experience fighting in the Battle of Arnhem. His capture by the Germans and incredible escape was only the beginning. His immediate return to Holland as part of Operation Pegasus and his vital work with the Dutch resistance to help rescue hundreds of Allied soldiers behind enemy lines resulted in Heaps being awarded the Royal Military Cross for "outstanding gallantry."

Written only a year after the war ended, the images of the Battle of Arnhem are as fresh and raw as the wounds of war themselves and offer a stark reminder of the triumph and tragedy during and after the Battle of Arnhem.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CCP2CP51
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (October 22, 2023)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 22, 2023
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2063 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 145 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #51,402 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1 in Historical Canadian Biographies
- #2 in Canadian Military History
- #23 in Biographies of World War II

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4.3 662 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

662 global ratings

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The struggle for freedom against tyranny

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024

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The personal account of Heaps' war time in WWII predominantly Holland, is one of the best.accounts of the war that I have read. It introduces one to so many brave people who quietly fought and resisted their enemies, who fought for freedom from tyranny, from death camps, from inhuman terror rained down on people. His final description of a concentration camp in Germany should be required reading by any who don't comprehend the monstrosities perpetrated upon so many.

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M Carley

The Battle of Arnhem aftermath

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024

Heaps was part of the doomed Battle of Arnhem. It was part of the larger Operation Market Garden, which didn't go anywhere close to planned.

Heaps goes through a lot. He is trapped behind enemy lines, gets captured, escapes, and helps the Dutch Underground transport evaders on numerous occasions. The tone is more narrative than internal, but I understand that. This was written a year after the war ended, and the wounds were still fresh. He may not have even had sufficient time to reflect how he felt at that point.

The writing itself is easy to follow, and there isn't any unnecessary flowery descriptions. I appreciated how he gave an update on various people if he knew what happened to them. There isn't any real in-depth intro into his life before the war, and for obvious reasons, his post-war life if a bit of a mystery. Heaps also wrote another book about Arnhem, The Grey Goose of Arnhem, and it looks like that one is focused more on various individuals.

I enjoyed this book. I learned a lot, and that's always a plus. It's on the short side, at a 145 pages, so if you're interested in Arnhem and the Dutch Resistance, this might be a good place to start.

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Calvin Triplett

The battle that started in Holland for a new Canadian Paratrooper Officer

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024

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The tragedy of being a new paratrooper is being dropped into a war where everything goes bad, Over 8000 paratroopers desend from the sky into Arnhem and it doesn't take long before it's life or death to get out of the city, And the struggle with the help of the Dutch people to get the survivors back into Allied hands,

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Mandy Walkden-Brown

Easy read, but a little distant.

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2024

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Decent enough memoir of the author’s involvement in the debacle of Arnhem. He seems to have a vast amount of autonomy, and I can’t quite work out why. Seems to flit from task to task with little input from high command or maybe he just omitted most of the day-to-day minutiae in this tome.

I think I’d recommend skipping this one and instead pick up the revised (1976) version of this 1945 issue, “The Grey Goose of Arnhem” instead as it’s written with an immediacy that this book seems to be missing. This is much more arm’s length from most of the action and unfolding sequence of events.

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JoeM

Another incredible account

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2024

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This is a great read that tells of the bravery and determination of people who risked everything for the right to be free.

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Kindle Customer

Great account of WW II

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2024

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Excellent account oc a Canadian's WW II adventures from a totally different perspective. I recommend it for all WW II history buffs.

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Ron Baumer

A Well told Story of the Attack on Arnhem in WW2

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023

A well written look at the ill-fated mission to take Arnhem and end the war, as told by a Canadian Officer involved in the action. The story is full of action and suspense as well as heartbreaking descriptions of how the troops suffered. An extremely good read, that I recommend!

One person found this helpful

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Barclay West

Liberty, hard won, for the oppressed.

Reviewed in Canada on February 24, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book is dear to my heart, as a Canadian, whose parents and in-laws lived through WW2. My Dad was an RCAF medical Sergeant my mom, a Nurse/ XRay Technician. My Father in law was with the Dutch Resistance, and suffered with terrible nightmares about his part in the war, until he died at 87 years old. My mother in law and her family, helped hide Jewish folks and assisted downed pilots and aircrew to escape occupied Holland. I have been to Holland, walked through the streets of Arnhem, and visited the military cemetery there, as well as Holten. The Dutch people remember well, the sacrifices of young men who bought their freedom at such a cost. We do well to learn and remember what has gone on before, and educate our children to do the same.

Lewis Morgan

This was real, what of humanity

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2024

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I have no words only tears. How could any human being look at themselves in a mirror whilst committing these dreadful deads.

Empe

Memorie

Reviewed in Italy on November 9, 2023

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Un paracadutista canadese che si trova "per caso" nell'inferno di Arnhem. Non aspettatevi un volume di storia, ovvero una rievocazione della battaglia. E' il diario di guerra di un combattente, a volte banale. Per altro il protagonista, separato dal suo reparto nel lancio, finisce per svolgere la funzione di "jolly" per le esigenze del comando, trasportando munizioni, viveri o messaggi. Preso prigioniero riesce a fuggire rientrando nelle linee Alleate. In formato kindle, a meno del prezzo di un caffè.

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Amazon Customer

How Canadian served in WW2

Reviewed in Canada on January 8, 2024

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This book brought to life what life of a soldier in WW2 was like.

ROBERT D.

good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2023

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A reasonable book to read,if you are interested in history
,especially history around The Battle for Arnhem this book will take you into the world of one soldier who was there and of his great courage and resilience.

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Escape From Arnhem: A Canadian Among the Lost Paratroops (Memoirs from World War Two) Kindle Edition

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