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Join us for an evening with Karen Farrington to discuss The Most Audacious Escapes of The Second World War Two with Karen Farrington

About The Great Italian Breakout:

In 1943, there were more than 60 prisoner of war camps throughout Mussolini's Italy. Behind barbed wire and under the guards' dark gaze were captive Allied soldiers. After the Italian Armistice thousands escaped as guards deserted their posts, but when German forces swept down the peninsula to regain control they were left stranded in enemy territory.

The Great Italian Breakout tells the remarkable stories of those men scattered across the Italian countryside, whose experiences have been all but forgotten. The luckiest made it to the safety of the Swiss frontier, the Vatican or the Allied Lines, some had a more arduous journey to France or Yugoslavia, and a handful escaped to Spain by boat. The unfortunate died in their quest for freedom, and many chose to stay and join the partisans, fighting a dangerous guerilla war against the German occupiers.

Rome was finally liberated by the Allies by 4 June 1944. Two days later, D-day unfolded, and this extraordinary period in World War Two faded from memory. The remarkable tales of Allied soldiers' survival against all odds in an unfamiliar, hostile landscape remain largely unknown. Using original research from archives and interviews with families, this book reveals the compelling stories of those on the run and celebrates men who, when it came to the Second World War, took a road less travelled.

About Karen Farrington:

Karen Farrington is a writer and former Fleet Street journalist whose published work includes titles on social and military history, together with a range of non-fiction TV companion books.

Over the last 20 years she has been commissioned by some of the UK's leading publishers to present often complex subjects in a concise, engaging style – seen most recently with the Christmas 2019 best-seller The Repair Shop (BBC Books). Farrington also worked as lead researcher for The Life And Times of Call The Midwife (the companion to series one and two; BBC Books)

Other recent BBC Books titles include Springwatch: The 2019 Almanac (with Michael Bright), Murder, Mystery and My Family: A True Crime Casebook, Great Victorian Railway Journeys: How Britain was Built by Victorian Steam Power and Great Lives: As Heard on Radio 4 (with Matthew Parris).

Previous works on military history include The Blitzed City (Aurum) an account of the Coventry Blitz and Witness To World War II (Blitz) – both of which focused on recounting history through the eyes of those who saw it.