After the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Pepi Spinner, a Jewish maths teacher, acquired false papers in the name of Countess Janina Suchodolska. Based on her unpublished memoir and extensive research, this biography reveals how, working as a welfare officer, the ‘countess’ persuaded the SS to release thousands of Poles from Majdanek concentration camp, smuggled supplies to the resistance and survived the war to become a mathematics professor in Chicago.
'Powerful. . . . A heart-wrenching profile of resilience, ingenuity, and heroism.' Publisher's Weekly
'A story of courage, compassion, and cunning so profound that it must be included with the greatest Holocaust literature. Janina Mehlberg is a heroine for the ages.' - Larry Loftis, New York Times bestselling author of The Watchmaker's Daughter
The Holocaust has given rise to many accounts of resistance and rescue, but The Counterfeit Countess is unique. It tells the remarkable, untold story of 'Countess Janina Suchodolska', a Jewish woman named Janina Mehlberg who rescued more than 10,000 Poles imprisoned by their country's Nazi occupiers.
Using the identity papers of a Polish aristocrat, she worked as a welfare official while also serving in the Polish resistance. With guile, cajolery, and steely persistence, 'the Countess' persuaded SS officials to release thousands of Poles from the Majdanek concentration camp. Incredibly, she eluded detection, survived the war and eventually emigrated to the USA. Drawing on the manuscript of Mehlberg's own unpublished memoir, supplemented with prodigious research, , historians and Holocaust experts Elizabeth White and Joanna Sliwa have uncovered the full story of this extraordinary woman.
Unsparing yet inspiring, The Counterfeit Countess is an unforgettable account of selfless courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty, and a major addition to the history of the Holocaust.
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https://www.psbooks.co.uk/the-counterfeit-countess545329The Counterfeit Countesshttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/545329_media-0.jpg7.997.99GBPInStock/History/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Biographies/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Biographies/Historical Biographies/History/Categories/Holocaust TitlesAfter the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Pepi Spinner, a Jewish maths teacher, acquired false papers in the name of Countess Janina Suchodolska. Based on her unpublished memoir and extensive research, this biography reveals how, working as a welfare officer, the ‘countess’ persuaded the SS to release thousands of Poles from Majdanek concentration camp, smuggled supplies to the resistance and survived the war to become a mathematics professor in Chicago.Hardback00https://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/545329_media-1.jpghttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/545329_media-2.jpgadd-to-cartrrp_info:£18.99productId:182224bic_code:BM, HBTZ1BM, HBTZ1£18.99Elizabeth B White, Joanna SliwaGeneral240x162mmJohn BlakeNoHardbackThe HolocaustView All
