Leap into darkness

More about the book

Memoirs of Bretholz (as told to Olesker), born in Vienna in 1921, whose flight from the Nazis began in 1938 and continued throughout the war, taking him to Luxembourg, France, Belgium, and Switzerland, from where he was expelled to Vichy France. False papers helped him on several occasions. He was interned in the camps at Saint-Cyprien and Rivesaltes. After being transported to Drancy, he was put on a train to Auschwitz, from which he jumped. In between escapes, he had several stays in prison and labor camps in France. Finally, he joined the resistance, helping others obtain false papers. In 1947 he emigrated to the USA; in 1962 he received confirmation of the death of his mother and sisters at the hands of the Nazis.