Hitler's Irish Slaves

Hitler's Irish Slaves tells the shocking story of 32 merchant seamen from Ireland who were held in conditions of great hardship in an SS slave labour camp from 1943 to 1945. Mercilessly punished for their refusal to join the German war effort, and ignored by their own government, they became part of a slave workforce that was used to construct an immense bunker. The Nazis believed that they could build a 'miracle boat' in this bunker: a new type of U-boat that could win the war for Germany. To achieve that goal, many thousands of slaves were worked to their deaths.Despite the savage regime to which they were subjected, and unlike some other Irishmen, they steadfastly refused all attempts by the SS to turn them into collaborators with the Third Reich. In this engrossing and dramatic book, David Blake Knox explores the fascinating and tragic story of the hardship endured by these men, as well as the reasons why that narrative, like the men themselves, has been unjustly neglected. Previously published as Suddenly While Abroad .

David Blake Knox has a longstanding association with the Eurovision Song Contest, and has made several TV documentaries about the event, including 2015's Ireland and the Eurovision. He was Head of Entertainment and Drama in RTÉ from 1990 to 1994 - during Ireland's 'golden era' when it won and staged the Eurovision contest three years in a row. As well as working for RTÉ in Dublin, he has worked for the BBC in London and HBO in New York. He currently runs the independent production company Blueprint Pictures, which specialises in arts and entertainment series. He is the author of Suddenly, While Abroad, which tells the story of thirty-two Irish merchant seamen who were held in a Nazi slave labour camp. Ireland and the Eurovision is his latest book. David lives in Dublin.