Andrey Pogozhev was born in Ukraine and he receives his call up papers for the Russian Army and he’s becomes a member of 787th Artillery Regiment. The troop train he's travelling on was bombed by the Germans and he's captured and sent to Auschwitz in October of 1941. Andrey had heard rumours about German concentration camps, and I won’t tell you what happened to him and the other Russians soldiers for the first two months of their incarceration as it’s a spoiler, he discovers the SS Officers and Kapos all enjoy their suffering and misery.

Andrey was expected to work, he’s part of the construction team who build Birkenau, he and the others toil away every day, in terrible weather and all the time being yelled at, threatened, beaten, whipped and tormented. Two groups of prisoners attempt to escape, this gives Andrey and others the idea of doing the same, and all they needed was one person to report them and they would be beaten, tortured and shot.

On the 6th of November 1942, seventy Russian soldiers escape from Auschwitz, in the forest they split up, hide and run. Andrey travels east, through the Carpathian Mountains into Ukraine, he returns home to his wife and daughter.

Andrey has no idea how he managed to endure what he did, both in Auschwitz and escaping, he was malnourished, his clothes were rags and over the years his body healed, but the memories and pain in his heart remained. Twenty years later he was asked to give evidence at a war crimes trial, with the help of his interpreter he was cross examined and he had to prove he had been a prisoner in Auschwitz and with the accused watching him, these men were dressed in suits and with slicked back hair. At first Andrey panicked, then he thought about all his fellow soldiers, women, children and older people they had killed and he managed to composed himself.

I received a copy of Escape From Auschwitz by Andrey Pogozhev from NetGalley and Pen & Sword Books in exchange for an unbiased review. What an amazing and heartbreaking biography, Andrey didn’t know how he survived, did he have super human stamina, good health, luck and I think it was because they needed a witness to make the Nazi’s pay for what they did and he was an amazing man and he lived through unimaginable hell, it was much worse than other accounts I have read and fours stars from me.

This was a very well-written autobiography by a Russian POW who spent time in Auschwitz and was forced to help build parts of other nearby camps. He has also moved around between the camps at different points. It’s the first time I’ve read anything of that period written from a Russian’s point of view which ended up in the camps along with others who had been captured. This is a relatively detailed retelling of his time there, from a journal he kept secretly in the camp. A very moving story from that time, and it kept my interest throughout. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an honest story about the camps. An advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Andrey Pogozhev, and the publisher.

This was an incredibly intense read! It’ll be one that sticks with me for quite some time.

The writing was good and kept my attention throughout. Unbelievable what this man went through and how he persevered through it all. Happy to have read this book.

Auschwitz - a forced labour's camp in Poland become one of the world's greatest shames - a factory of death, capable of killing and creating thousands of humans every day.

Prisoner number 1418, Andrei Pogozhev, was one of the very few prisoners to escape Auschwitz and live to tell the tale.

This is story.

An amazing read, but not sure if the translation could use a little work to bring some tone to the story and really bring this book to life.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A harrowing read, clearly not going to be sweetness given the material, but it gave me sleepless nights due to the horrors that this Soviet POW suffered. Having read many WWII books, some factual, some based on fact, some fictional, i can truly say that this was one of the rawest and uncomfortable reads. Nazi cruelty and depravity needs to be spoken about, but i would find it difficult to recommend this book given how difficult i found it to read. #NeverForget

Very poignant. The book was very well written. Hard to read. So brutal a life we cannot possibly imagine in this day and age. The book tells how it was very well.

I love these kinds of stories, to keep learning more details of one of the worst episodes of our existence and this book was no exception. I would have liked to know more about the exhaust, which happens very quickly and, from the title of the book, should be more important. A hard and disturbing reading.

I don't like the cover. Sorry jajaja

In a market full of WW11 testimonials this is unusual since it is written by a Russian from the perspective of a Soviet. Andrey Pogozhev was captured early in the war and sent to Auschwitz. This is his account of the horrors perpetrated against him, his comrades and the other unfortunate souls captured by the Nazis. It is always remarkable to read the depravity of their crimes and to try and comprehend the scale of the killing machine they had. Andrey’s story is of course remarkable not only because he survived when so many others didn’t, but he escaped custody on at least 3 occasions on his ultimate journey to freedom. His account also stands as a memoriam to those whose lives were taken, but whose memory lives on with people like Andrey who knew these people first hand and keep their memory alive. A must read for WW11 aficionados. Review posted to Goodreads, Amazon, Litsy, Facebook, and LibraryThing.

This is such an interesting book. It's such an interesting topic. It is very disturbing and not a happy topic to read about, but it is a must read for everyone.

Memoirs of the Holocaust are very hard to read, reliving the horrors and sharing them with us has to be mentally agonizing.

This well-written memoir is absolutely heartbreaking and totally incomprehensible. In detail, Mr. Pogozhev recounts his years as an internee in Auschwitz- Birkenau, what he says is beyond imaginable. How this Russian man was able to survive was beyond extraordinary, with all the will power and a lot of luck he with other inmates managed to fool the Nazi and escape…not an easy task.

I have read many books and never get tired to read how those not selected to the gas chamber managed to survive and how strong they were to be able to accomplish the tasks imposed on them and keep their sanity…although some couldn’t and committed suicide. Day after day of cruelty simply hard to believe human can do this to another human. “Escape from Auschwitz” is an incredible graphic account of survival. Although the title is deceiving since most of the narrative covers the atrocities behind the barbwire fence, the last few chapters recounts the escape and the aftermath and finally in the last chapter we read a very touching witness testimony given by Mr. Pogozhev at the trial.

This is the first time I read a memoir through the eyes of a Russian POW. His account is similar to those I read before. Very moving as they are all….

This book is not enjoyable by its content but is a must read.

My thanks to the author for reliving this nightmare, to Pen & Sword for publishing the memoirs and NetGalleys for the opportunity to read this heart- wrenching account.

Life inside Auschwitz for a soviet pow. I’ve read quite a few books on this, and found Andreys account equally haunting. The escape is a small part of the book, and I would have liked more detail on this. An important book.

Disturbing but necessary. What happened during the time of the Holocaust should always be remembered so that they never happen again. Andrey's remembrances are detailed and horrifying, and what he lived through is something that should never, never occur again.

This was by far an east but it was because it was so emotionally disturbing and it is the truth. This is an autobiographical story that happened. How this Russian man was able to survive a Nazi Death Camp was beyond extraordinary and to stay sane among such treachery and cruelty is amazing. Like another reviewer post, "I didn't know Russian captives built Bierkenaw. Alexandra Alexyna". I agree, this was fascinating
This was just as good as Tattooist of Auschwitz and I love that book. Both are must reads.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest reviews.

Available: 4/30/20

A moving autobiography from a Russian POW, like most books about Auschwitz it’s not an easy read at all. Brutally honest, this tells an honest view of several camps as he was moved around. A detailed account and a must read for history fans.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was a very well written autobiography by a Russian POW who spent time in Auschwitz, and was forced to help build parts of other nearby camps. He was also moved around between the camps at different points. It’s the first time I’ve read anything of that period written from a Russian’s point of view who ended up in the camps along with others who had been captured. This is a fairly detailed retelling of his time there, from a journal he kept secretly in the camp. A very moving story from that time, it kept my interest all the way through. I’d recommend it for anyone looking for an honest story about the camps. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Andrey Pogozhev, and the publisher.

I saw this book on bookstagram and knew I wanted to read it. I absolutely loved it. It drew me in and I didn't want to take a break. Definitely did not disappoint!