Review: Another forgotten footnote of WWII
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2014
Operation Cowboy was another of those fascinating footnotes from World War II that has largely been forgotten in the seven decades since the war ended. In the closing days of the war, the "Monuments Men" saved priceless art that had been stolen by the Germans. In an analogous action, the participants in Operation Cowboy's mission rescued hundreds of the prized Lipizzaner horses that the Germans had taken to a facility in Czechoslovakia. There was no time to waste, since the Soviet army was approaching and would take the horses - and perhaps eat them - if they got there first.It's an amazing story, and although the mission was successful, it was not without tragedy, as two American GIs were killed. The mission was undertaken with General Patton's knowledge, but without his official blessing. Author Stephan Talty has done a marvelous job sorting through the chaotic situation and describing how an American combat unit worked with the Germans in the last few days of the war to save the Lipizzaners.