The Liberator

One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau

By: Alex Kershaw

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

The true story of the bloodiest and most dramatic march to victory of the Second World War: the battlefield odyssey of a maverick U.S. Army officer and his infantry unit as they fought for over five hundred days to liberate Europe - from the invasion of Italy to the gates of Dachau.

From July 10, 1943, the date of the Allied landing in Sicily, to May 8, 1945, when victory in Europe was declared - the entire time it took to liberate Europe - no regiment saw more action, and no single platoon, company, or battalion endured worse, than the ones commanded by Felix Sparks, who had entered the war as a greenhorn second lieutenant of the 157th "Eager for Duty" Infantry Regiment of the 45th "Thunderbird" Division. Sparks and his fellow Thunderbirds fought longest and hardest to defeat Hitler, often against his most fanatical troops, when the odds on the battlefield were even and the fortunes of the Allies hung in the balance - and when the difference between defeat and victory was a matter of character, not tactics or armor.

Drawing on extensive interviews with Sparks and dozens of his men, as well as over five years of research in Europe and in archives across the US, historian Alex Kershaw masterfully recounts one of the most inspiring and heroic journeys in military history. Over the course of four amphibious invasions, Sparks rose from captain to colonel as he battled from the beaches of Sicily through the mountains of Italy and France, ultimately enduring bitter and desperate winter combat against the diehard SS on the Fatherland's borders. Though he lost all of his company to save the Allied beach-head at Anzio and an entire battalion in the dark forests of the Vosges, Sparks miraculously survived the long bloody march across Europe and was selected to lead a final charge to Bavaria to hunt down Adolf Hitler.

In the dying days of the Third Reich, Sparks and his men crossed the last great barrier in the West, the Rhine, only to experience some of the most intense street fighting and close combat suffered by Americans in WWII. When they finally arrived at the gates of Dachau, Hitler's first and most notorious concentration camp, the Thunderbirds confronted scenes that robbed the mind of reason. With victory within grasp, Sparks confronted the ultimate test of his humanity: after all he had faced, could he resist the urge to wreak vengeance on the men who had caused untold suffering and misery?

Written with the narrative drive and vivid immediacy of Kershaw's previous best-selling books about American infantrymen in WWII, The Liberator is a story for the ages, an intensely human and dramatic account of one of history's greatest warriors and his unheralded role in America's finest achievement - the defeat of Nazi Germany.

©2012 Alex Kershaw (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[Kershaw] is a captivating narrator, hammering home the chaos and carnage of war, sparing no sensory detail to paint a cohesive picture. [His] portrayal of his subject (based on interviews with Sparks, who died in 2007, and other survivors) makes for a riveting, almost epic tale of a larger-than-life, underappreciated figure." ( Publishers Weekly)

"This engrossing wartime narrative offers a fresh look at the European campaign and an intimate sense of the war’s toll on individual participants." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"A searing, brilliantly told story of the heroism and horror of war, Alex Kershaw's The Liberator is a book that's impossible to put down. A must read for anyone who loved Band of Brothers." (Lynne Olson, author of Citizens of London)

Amazing story of the Tunderbirds and the man who .

Great narration. I read the book before , but somehow listening to it, make it come to life. There is just not words to describe how brutal war is.
You'll love this book.

great WWII book

awesome account of great Americans doing hard work of fighting for liberty & against pure evil of national socialism

powerful

powerful and inspiring book. one of the best I have read in many years. a tribute to a great leader and his love for his men

American Hero

I wish I would met this man while he was alive. His experiences would have broke most,yet he was rock solid. Good bye and thank u Felix.

An ESSENTIAL companion to Band of Brothers.

if you are a fan of Band of Brothers and how it tracks and traces dick Winters and the hundred first Airborne from their training through the end of the war then this book is an absolutely essential book for you. coming from so very many simultaneously opposite and yet similar frames of reference this book Felix Sparks As He commands men from anzio to the Battle of the Bulge to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. the Thunderbirds that he leads passed through some of the highest attrition rates of any units in the US army fighting during World War II, and this audiobook frames his experience and those of his men in an immersive and constantly revelatory narrative that kept me up late many nights. I cannot recommend this book and the quality of the of the narration highly enough. You will not be disappointed.

Great story line

What did you like best about this story?

This is an amazing story of what the soldiers went through. There is a lot in this story about Italy and how hard they had to fight to win.

A Tremendous Story of Courage and Leadership

COL Sparks was a courageous infantryman and outstanding leader. Couple those two traits with a great amount of luck and you have the makings of a very interesting story of one mans battle during WWII. I found it thoroughly interesting and entertaining. The stories told of the extraordinary courage and bravery of the WWII citizen solder is a tribute to them. To hear and see the death and injury surrounding you daily, makes one wonder how any infantryman could return to a world of post-war normalcy.
The chapters on the events at Dachau are most interesting.
Also, the book tells the story of the murder of COL Sparks Grandson. It was beyond terrible, and inexcusable. As told in the book, that event seemed to push the COL into a zone of fury unequaled in his wartime years. The grief the family has endured is heart wrenching. I can understand COL Sparks push to keep handguns out of the hands of teenagers like the one that murdered his grandson, that I agree with, but then the story seemed to devolve into a diatribe against the NRA. The NRA does not and will not condone any unlawful use of firearms. In the book the NRA seems to be as much a villain as the murderer himself. With that, I totally disagree.
Whatever your view is on firearms ownership or regulation you'll enjoy reading of COL Sparks 500+ days in battle.
It's a very interesting read.

A real account of a real WWII hero

If you could sum up The Liberator in three words, what would they be?

Powerful Enlightening Real

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Liberator?

When he got out of a tank to rescue his men and the SS decided not to shoot out of respect for a ranking officer that would do such a thing

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was the whole story about the concentration camp and Colonel Sparks reaction to the shooting of the guards and his respect for human life regardless of the situation he was in. This was coupled with his reaction to the General that wanted a photo opportunity. I was touched by someone who could witness such horrors and maintain such decency in all of it - a true hero.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were several shocking scenes in this book that made the reality of war come to light.

Outstanding story of an American hero

Well written and well performed. Would highly recommend it for its histort, humanity, and character.

OK Story, Great Narration

The story provides great insight into the trials and tribulations encountered by US infantry in the less publicized side of the European Theater of Operations. It highlights the fact the US involvement did not start with D-Day. Fred Sanders does a great job of providing color to the story and the various voices he uses help support the story without becoming a "performance".
I did not feel the story was well balanced in its presentation of General Felix Sparks. It read a bit like a "puff" piece.
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