Why We Fought: Inspiring Stories of Resisting Hitler and Defending Freedom

Product Description

The struggle to combat the Nazis during World War II encompassed front lines far beyond conventional battlefields. In a panoramic and compelling account, author Jerry Borrowman shares seven largely untold stories of people who undertook extraordinary efforts to defeat the Third Reich at enormous personal risk.
Some were soldiers like the Ghost Army, an eclectic group of former artists, actors, and engineers who engaged in top-secret tactical deceptions by staging ingenious decoy armies. Using inflatable tanks, radio transmissions, and sound effects, they were able to trick the Germans throughout the course of the war, often working close to the front lines of the fiercest fighting.
Some were ordinary citizens like William Sebold, a German immigrant and US citizen, who could have been a deadly foe, but instead chose the Allied cause. When he was coerced by the Gestapo into becoming a spy in America, he instead approached the FBI and offered to become a double agent. His efforts successfully helped bring down a dangerous German spy network that was dedicated to stealing industrial and wartime secrets and sabotaging America on home soil.
These dramatic and inspiring personal stories shed light on some of the darkest days of World War II and one of the most perilous times in human history. As the Nazis swept through Europe, citizens around the world faced an individual and national complex moral question: How do you respond to the tyranny and bloodthirsty madness of the Nazis? These are stories of ordinary men and women who would not surrender or compromise. They resisted and fought with total commitment for freedom and democracy despite the personal cost.

Review

“Borrowman presents another set of WWII profiles, weaving together seven disparate tales of bravery by unconventional heroes in America and Europe who opposed Nazi tyranny. These stories of citizens using their unique skills to save the world are not widely known, and Borrowman brings the details and significance of each to life in dramatic fashion.
Why We Fought shows that guns and bombs are not the only tools with which to counter aggression. The chapters are relatively short and easy to understand for teens interested in resistance to tyranny.”– “Booklist”

About the Author

Jerry Borrowman is an award-winning author of historical fiction and nonfiction titles, including
Compassionate Soldier and
Invisible Heroes of World War II. He has written about the World Wars, the Great Depression, and the Vietnam War. He is the recipient of the George Washington National Medal from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge. He and his wife, Marcella, raised four children and live in the Rocky Mountains.