I just finished reading "Ghost Riders" by Mark Felton, the story of 2nd Cavalry's mission to rescue POW's and "the world's most beautiful horses" from behind enemy lines in Czechoslovakia at the close of WWII. Horses from across Europe had been collected in Hostau for a German breeding program in which the Germans wanted to produce the world's greatest war horse. The primary breeding stock was the magnificent Lipizzaners from the Spanish Riding School in Austria, but also included famous racing horses, Arabians, and more. The Germans feared the horses would become lunch meat if they fell into the Russians hands, so in order to save the horses, the Germans approached the US forces that had just halted their advance at the Czech/German border, just 18 miles west of the horse stud. What followed was a bold and unprecedented rescue mission in which German and American forces worked together to save a living piece of history.
Mark Felton is a WWII historian and author of twenty books, and did an excellent job bringing this story to life in his latest book. It ends with 20 pages of notes and sources, which is to say his research was extensive and thorough, including American, Austrian, British, Czech and German sources. With so much information, one could easily get bogged down and lost in minutia, but Mark turned it into a page turning race against the clock as the Russians advance, Hitler commits suicide, the war comes to an end, and communist locals take control in Czechoslovakia, all while the Americans and their ad hoc foreign legion defends and delivers over 600 horses to safety in Germany.
The book begins a little slowly as Mark provides background information about how the Spanish Riding School was evacuated out of Vienna to escape the bombing campaigns and the Russian advance. The show horses were moved to St Martin, Austria, and the breeding stock ended up in Czechoslovokia, which, if lost, would mean the end of the Spanish Riding School and the Lipizzaner breed in Austria. However, once the setting is established, the story picks up speed, and Mark does an excellent job of cutting through the fog of war, in its final days, to bring this story to life.
My only complaint is that I didn't get to read this book while I was stationed only a few miles from the center of this story. It would have been incredible to have visited the sites as I read the book. I guess that is just a good excuse to revisit the sites and re-read the book.
My edition of the book did not include any situation maps for reference, so I have included two below for reference while you read the book, if you aren't familiar with the region.
You can learn more, or buy the book at the publisher's website here
Mark Felton is a WWII historian and author of twenty books, and did an excellent job bringing this story to life in his latest book. It ends with 20 pages of notes and sources, which is to say his research was extensive and thorough, including American, Austrian, British, Czech and German sources. With so much information, one could easily get bogged down and lost in minutia, but Mark turned it into a page turning race against the clock as the Russians advance, Hitler commits suicide, the war comes to an end, and communist locals take control in Czechoslovakia, all while the Americans and their ad hoc foreign legion defends and delivers over 600 horses to safety in Germany.
The book begins a little slowly as Mark provides background information about how the Spanish Riding School was evacuated out of Vienna to escape the bombing campaigns and the Russian advance. The show horses were moved to St Martin, Austria, and the breeding stock ended up in Czechoslovokia, which, if lost, would mean the end of the Spanish Riding School and the Lipizzaner breed in Austria. However, once the setting is established, the story picks up speed, and Mark does an excellent job of cutting through the fog of war, in its final days, to bring this story to life.
My only complaint is that I didn't get to read this book while I was stationed only a few miles from the center of this story. It would have been incredible to have visited the sites as I read the book. I guess that is just a good excuse to revisit the sites and re-read the book.
My edition of the book did not include any situation maps for reference, so I have included two below for reference while you read the book, if you aren't familiar with the region.
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| Situation Map of the western front of WWII in APR/MAY 1945 when the rescue mission took place. |
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| Map of SE Germany, SW Czech, and Austria where the story takes place. The blow up shows Hostau (where the horse stud and POWs were located), Vohenstauss (where 2nd CAV Grp HQ was located) and Furth im Wald (where the horses were evacuated) |
