Shortcuts
Please wait while page loads.
Cairns Libraries . Default .
PageMenu- Main Menu-
Page content

Catalogue Display

The perfect horse : the daring mission to rescue priceless stallions from the Nazis / Elizabeth Letts.

In the chaotic last days of World War II, a small troop of American soldiers captures a German spy and learns that on a secret farm behind enemy lines, Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebred horses in order to breed the perfect military machine--an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food. With only hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army's last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision--with General George Patton's blessing--to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed's small but determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses. Pulling together this multistranded story, Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky, director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a former Olympic medallist forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau, Hitler's imperious chief of horse breeding, a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart, a senator's son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm's surrender. Elizabeth Letts's exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure, courage, and sacrifice brings to life for the first time one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valour.--Adapted from dust jacket.

Item Information
Barcode Shelf Location Collection Volume Ref. Branch Status Due Date Res.
C9006680874 940.54 LET
Adult nonfiction   Smithfield Branch . . Available .  
. Catalogue Record 716243 ItemInfo Beginning of record . Catalogue Record 716243 ItemInfo Top of page .
Catalogue Information
Field name Details
ISBN 9781925475326
Dewey 940.54
Author Letts, Elizabeth author.
Title The perfect horse : the daring mission to rescue priceless stallions from the Nazis / Elizabeth Letts.
Published South Melbourne : Affirm Press, 2016.
Physical description xix, 369 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm.
Note Includes bibliographical references (pages 343-350) and index.
Summary In the chaotic last days of World War II, a small troop of American soldiers captures a German spy and learns that on a secret farm behind enemy lines, Hitler has stockpiled the world's finest purebred horses in order to breed the perfect military machine--an equine master race. But with the starving Russian army closing in, the animals are in imminent danger of being slaughtered for food. With only hours to spare, one of the U.S. Army's last great cavalrymen, Colonel Hank Reed, makes a bold decision--with General George Patton's blessing--to mount a covert rescue operation. Racing against time, Reed's small but determined force of soldiers, aided by several turncoat Germans, steals across enemy lines in a last-ditch effort to save the horses. Pulling together this multistranded story, Elizabeth Letts introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: Alois Podhajsky, director of the famed Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a former Olympic medallist forced to flee the bomb-ravaged Austrian capital with his entire stable in tow; Gustav Rau, Hitler's imperious chief of horse breeding, a proponent of eugenics who dreams of genetically engineering the perfect warhorse for Germany; and Tom Stewart, a senator's son who makes a daring moonlight ride on a white stallion to secure the farm's surrender. Elizabeth Letts's exhilarating tale of behind-enemy-lines adventure, courage, and sacrifice brings to life for the first time one of the most inspiring chapters in the annals of human valour.--Adapted from dust jacket.
Subject Podhajsky, Alois
Reed, Charles Hancock, -- 1900-1980
Spanische Reitschule (Vienna, Austria) -- History -- 20th century
United States. -- Army. -- Cavalry Regiment, Mechanized, 2nd -- History.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Confiscations and contributions -- United States
World War, 1939-1945 -- Commando operations -- Czech Republic -- Hostouň
Lipizzaner horse -- Austria -- History -- 20th century
Arabian horse -- Poland -- History -- 20th century
World War, 1939-1945 -- Confiscations and contributions -- Germany
World War, 1939-1945 -- Austria
Catalogue Information 716243 Beginning of record . Catalogue Information 716243 Top of page .