I Will Come Back for You
A powerful true story of wartime love and resilience
Published on 4. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-80418-534-6 (ISBN)
Description
'Extraordinary ... one of the most moving and uplifting stories of the war' Keith Lowe
'A remarkable book' The Telegraph
A gripping account of hidden identity, military courage, and an against-all-odds reunion.
Four days after Germany's surrender in May 1945, a young British officer headed east into Germany. But this was no ordinary soldier. Manfred Gans was searching for his family. As a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, he fled to England. Once he could, he enlisted, serving in the elite British 'Three Troop' unit, comprised of German-speaking refugees, and joined the D-Day landings.
Working undercover, he gained vital intelligence, liberated occupied France and the Netherlands, and saved lives on both sides. Meanwhile, he dreamed of a reunion with his family trapped behind enemy lines, and with his childhood sweetheart, Anita.
As the war ended, chaos reigned in Germany: defeated Wehrmacht soldiers faced columns of U.S. and British soldiers, concentration camp survivors encountered SS guards, and Soviet military roadblocks controlled the route east. Manfred overcame them all, finally reaching the place his parents were last seen: Theresienstadt ...
Translated by Rachel Stanyon
'A remarkable book' The Telegraph
A gripping account of hidden identity, military courage, and an against-all-odds reunion.
Four days after Germany's surrender in May 1945, a young British officer headed east into Germany. But this was no ordinary soldier. Manfred Gans was searching for his family. As a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, he fled to England. Once he could, he enlisted, serving in the elite British 'Three Troop' unit, comprised of German-speaking refugees, and joined the D-Day landings.
Working undercover, he gained vital intelligence, liberated occupied France and the Netherlands, and saved lives on both sides. Meanwhile, he dreamed of a reunion with his family trapped behind enemy lines, and with his childhood sweetheart, Anita.
As the war ended, chaos reigned in Germany: defeated Wehrmacht soldiers faced columns of U.S. and British soldiers, concentration camp survivors encountered SS guards, and Soviet military roadblocks controlled the route east. Manfred overcame them all, finally reaching the place his parents were last seen: Theresienstadt ...
Translated by Rachel Stanyon
Reviews / Votes
'A remarkable book' -- Mick Brown * The Telegraph * '[The] most dramatic of war stories' * Jewish Chronicle * 'Extraordinary ... one of the most moving and uplifting stories of the war. I couldn't put it down' -- Keith Lowe * author of Savage Continent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chichester
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
186 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80418-534-6 (9781804185346)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Daniel Huhn is the author of numerous films and radio features dealing primarily with historical topics, including the documentary Back to Borken and an Audible Original podcast about Manfred Gans' journey. In 2016, he embarked with the descendants of the Gans family on the route Manfred Gans had taken more than 70 years earlier.
Rachel Stanyon is a translator from German to English. She has worked as a teacher and researcher in Germany and the UK, and is currently based in Melbourne, Australia, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. From here, she also volunteers for the world literature journal Asymptote. She holds a master's in translation, and in 2016 won a place in the New Books in German Emerging Translators Programme.
Rachel Stanyon is a translator from German to English. She has worked as a teacher and researcher in Germany and the UK, and is currently based in Melbourne, Australia, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. From here, she also volunteers for the world literature journal Asymptote. She holds a master's in translation, and in 2016 won a place in the New Books in German Emerging Translators Programme.