WERNER BAUMBACH
Baumbach was a highly decorated Luftwaffe pilot and one of the commanders of the special operations flight known as KG 200. Baumbach really did fly captured American planes and other very specialized craft, and was involved in many secret missions. He survived the war, and even wrote a book about his life without ever mentioning the KG 200 air squadron.
EVA DUARTE
She became, on October 18, 1945, the wife of General Perón, who was vice president of Argentina in January 1945. He later became president of the country in 1946. It is widely known that both he and previous regimes were pro-Nazi (despite having declared war on Germany at the beginning of 1945) and that vast amounts of money and gold were transferred to German companies set up in Argentina by Martin Bormann. A great number of ex-Nazis settled there comfortably after the war—including, if you choose to believe alternative history books, Martin Bormann, and even Adolf Hitler himself.
EVA BRAUN
She was Hitler’s longtime mistress. He married her in the bunker in Berlin on April 29, 1945, and they committed suicide together the following day. Her sister Gretl Braun survived the war and died in 1987.
When researching this novel, I found these books really useful: The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathan Lopez; KG 200: The Luftwaffe’s Most Secret Unit by Geoffrey J. Thomas & Barry Ketley; The Hunger Winter by Henri A. van der Zee; Nazi Looting: The Plunder of Dutch Jewry during the Second World War by Gerard Aalders; The Real Odessa: How Perón Brought the Nazi War Criminals to Argentina by Uki Goni; The Truth About the Wunderwaffe by Igor Witkowski; and Emmy Andriesse—Photographs 1944/52 by Emmy Andriesse.
This is like the end of a film when the credits roll and everyone leaves. For the odd few who stay to the copyright and Panavision logos, here are the people I would like to thank for helping me with this story. My mother and father, who both served during the war. My wonderful wife and four gorgeous children. Michael, Nelda, and Judy, who know who they are and what they do! Major Von Hapen; my fabulous editor, Rachel, who is an alchemist; Barry, my amazing boss; the other incredible Rachel; and of course everyone else at Chicken House, which is the best publisher in the galaxy. Thank you, one and all.
William Osborne became a lawyer after graduating from Cambridge University, but his career took a sharp turn when he switched to screenwriting in Hollywood. He has worked on more than sixty movies, including The Mummy and GoldenEye. His first novel, Hitler’s Secret, was longlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal in the United Kingdom. He lives in Norfolk, England.
Copyright © 2016 by William Osborne
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First published in the United Kingdom in 2014 by Chicken House, 2 Palmer Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1DS.
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While inspired by real events and historical characters, this is a work of fiction and does not claim to be historically accurate or portray factual events or relationships. Please keep in mind that references to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales may not be factually accurate, but rather fictionalized by the author.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available
First edition, January 2016
e-ISBN 978-0-545-85362-0
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