FAREWELL TO SPANDAU

Good morning bookies!

A short blog today to introduce a new book by Tony Le Tissier, author of Slaughter at Halbe, the account of the destruction of the 9th German Army during the final battle for Berlin in 1945. Farewell to Spandau is the author's account of Spandau Prison in Berlin and its last, most famous inmate, Rudolf Hess. It seems Le Tissier was the final British commander of this unique institution, a prison run by the 4 powers that destroyed Nazi Germany, the US, UK, France and the USSR, and only closed after Hess committed suicide. At its high point the facility only held 7 prisoners, so the effort and expense put forth to incarcerate one very old man, but one unrepentant Nazi, seems out of all proportion. As a symbol, however, of the united stance against fanaticism, it was money well spent.

Farewell to Spandau by Tony Le Tissier