Book Review: The Brigade

While not about Jews in the U.S. military, Howard Blum’s The Brigade tells the story of the first all Jewish military unit in modern times. The Jewish Brigade was formed by the British army with Jewish volunteers from British Palestine at the end of World War II.

This is by far one of my favorite books. It is highly motivating to read about Jewish soldiers wreaking havoc on Nazi troops in Europe. There’s a lot more to this book than a few military battles though. You can read my full review to learn more.

Blum tells the story of the Jewish Brigade through the eyes of three of its members:

Sgt Israel Carmi – A hardened special ops veteran of the Palestinian police and Haganah.

Capt Johanan Peltz – A brash young officer who had demonstrated his military skills and strength as a leader while serving with the Palestinian police and Haganah.

Lt Arie Pinchuk – A new officer in the brigade with hopes of fighting in Europe to save his family in the Ukraine.

The brigade began their adventures in Fiuggi, Italy where they spent months training and yearning to fight the Nazis. They finally got their chance in the spring of 1945 at La Giogetta, Italy. Blum gives an exciting account of the brigade’s daring and very successful raid there.

There are more stories about patrols and skirmishes with German units. Blum breaks things up throughout the book by inserting personal stories about Carmi, Peltz, and Pinchuk. There are some particularly exciting stories about some of their missions with the Haganah.

The brigade was stashed at Taravisio as the war wound down, unable to set foot into Germany as planned. It was here that many of the soldiers first learned the extent of the Nazi’s atrocities and it was here where they began their mission of revenge.

Carmi, with his resources in the intelligence unit begins to search for SS and Gestapo troops who are trying to hide out after the war. Peltz and some other men from the brigade join him, while Pinchuk left to search for his own family. The execution squads, as they were called, sought out SS officers in covert, well planned operations and killed them while uttering, “In the name of the Jewish people, I sentence you to death.” The revenge executions go on for some time and each member comes to terms with his actions in his own way.

Amazingly, the men made the change from ruthless assassins to rescuers almost overnight. Carmi and Peltz use their military skills and resources to begin smuggling survivors out of Europe. There seems to have been no end to these men’s dedication. Every mission to send refugees to Palestine is more and more dangerous as they are met with more resistance from the British government.

I won’t give away anything specific in the ending, but if there ever is a happy ending this is it. To hear about these men living today, it truly must have been the greatest thanks ever to see the birth of Israel. As the author said, these men had a huge hand in what Israel is today.

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