
Escape from the Third Reich
Folke Bernadotte and the White Buses
Sune Persson(Author)
Frontline Books (Publisher)
Published on 25. April 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-5267-6071-5 (ISBN)
Description
The story of the White Buses is one of the most extraordinary humanitarian efforts during the Second World War. Yet their story remains little known.
At a time when the Nazis were hanging on desperately for survival and while chaos reigned in Germany, Count Folke Bernadotte, the Swedish Red Cross and the Danish government conducted negotiations with Heinrich Himmler. They successfully engineered the release and transport of prisoners from concentration camps to a neutral country - Sweden.
The mission became known for its fleet of distinctive buses. Painted entirely white, these vehicles carried the Red Cross emblem and Swedish or Danish flags so that they would not be mistaken for military targets. The various expeditions to the German concentration camps were long and highly dangerous, with every move watched by the SS and the Gestapo. The conditions the rescuers encountered at the camps were beyond comprehension.
Due to the chaotic conditions during the last weeks of the war in Europe, it is impossible to say exactly how many prisoners were liberated by the expedition, but according to conservative figures the so-called White Buses helped transport at least 17,000 prisoners to Sweden by 4 May 1945\. Undoubtedly, the White Buses saved thousands from a miserable existence or death in the camps. This is the story of their journey.
At a time when the Nazis were hanging on desperately for survival and while chaos reigned in Germany, Count Folke Bernadotte, the Swedish Red Cross and the Danish government conducted negotiations with Heinrich Himmler. They successfully engineered the release and transport of prisoners from concentration camps to a neutral country - Sweden.
The mission became known for its fleet of distinctive buses. Painted entirely white, these vehicles carried the Red Cross emblem and Swedish or Danish flags so that they would not be mistaken for military targets. The various expeditions to the German concentration camps were long and highly dangerous, with every move watched by the SS and the Gestapo. The conditions the rescuers encountered at the camps were beyond comprehension.
Due to the chaotic conditions during the last weeks of the war in Europe, it is impossible to say exactly how many prisoners were liberated by the expedition, but according to conservative figures the so-called White Buses helped transport at least 17,000 prisoners to Sweden by 4 May 1945\. Undoubtedly, the White Buses saved thousands from a miserable existence or death in the camps. This is the story of their journey.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Barnsley
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Illustrations
16 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-5267-6071-5 (9781526760715)
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
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2019
Frontline Books
€7.48
Available for download
Person
SUNE PERSSON is a retired Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Gteborg, Sweden. The first edition of this work was published in Sweden in 2002 as _Vi ker till Sverige: De vita bussarna 1945_ (W_e are Going to Sweden: The White Buses in 1945_). After the critically acclaimed hardback, a paperback was issued in 2005.