num_pages: 221
description: Otto Skorzeny, Germanys top commando in World War II, is one of the most famous men in the history of special forces. His extraordinary wartime career was one of high risk and adventure and in this book he tells the full story. Skorzeny quickly proved his worth in Yugoslavia and then Russia. In 1942 he was awarded the Iron Cross, and in April 1943 he was promoted to captain and named Chief of Germanys Special Troops, Existing or to be Created in the Future.When Mussolini was imprisoned in Italy in 1943, it was Skorzeny who successfully led the daring glider rescue, winning the Knights Cross and promotion as a result. Skorzenys talents were brought into play again when he was sent to Budapest to stop the Hungarian regent Admiral Horthy from signing a peace with Stalin in 1944.Now dubbed the most dangerous man in Europe by the Allies he was awarded the German Cross in Gold. A few months later he took a critical role in the Ardennes offensive with a controversial plan to raise a brigade disguised as Americans with captured Sherman tanks.His captured colleagues spread a false rumor that he was planning to assassinate Eisenhower, who was consequently confined to his headquarters for weeks. Skorzenys memoirs vividly depict commando action and are a key addition to special forces literature.
language: English
title: Skorzeny's Special Missions: The Memoirs of "The Most Dangerous Man in Europe"
titlecomplete: Skorzeny's Special Missions: The Memoirs of "The Most Dangerous Man in Europe"
characters: Otto Skorzeny
genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Germany, Military History, German Literature, Biography, Military Fiction, War, History, World War II
ratings_count: 236
publisher: Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal