Rifleman cover art

Rifleman

A Front-Line Life from Alamein and Dresden to the Fall of the Berlin Wall

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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents Rifleman by Victor Gregg, read by David John and Victor Gregg.

Born into a working-class family in London in 1919, Victor Gregg enlisted in the Rifle Brigade at nineteen, was sent to the Middle East and saw action in Palestine. Following service in the western desert and at the battle of Alamein, he joined the Parachute Regiment and in September 1944 found himself at the battle of Arnhem. When the paratroopers were forced to withdraw, Gregg was captured. He attempted to escape, but was caught and became a prisoner of war; sentenced to death in Dresden for attempting to escape and burning down a factory, only the allies' infamous raid on the city the night before his execution saved his life.

Gregg's fascinating story, told in a voice that is good-natured and completely original, continues after the end of the war. In the fifties he became chauffeur to the Chairman of the Moscow Norodny bank in London, involved in shady dealings and strange meetings with MI5, MI6 and the KGB. His adventures, though, were not over – in 1989, on one of his many motorbike expeditions into Eastern Europe, he found himself at a rally of 700 people in a field in Sopron at a fence that formed part of the barrier between the Soviet Union and the West. Vic cut the wire, and a few weeks later the Berlin Wall itself was destroyed – a truly unexpected coda to an incredible life lived to the full.

This is the story of a true survivor.©2011 Victor Gregg (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 20th Century Military & War Modern Espionage War Soviet Union Military England Middle East Scary
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Hard to believe that Victor's life is real and so packed with adventure! A sincere account of one man's life, spanning World War and espionage.

Loved listening to it, especially his own reading.

WOW! What an amazing life story

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Victor Gregg is the sort of bloke I would love to sit down with over a beer and listen to him tell the story of his life although I suppose you would first have to gain his trust, the book does not glorify his exploits or the things he did after the war it just tells the story of a man permanently changed by the horrors he witnessed...lest we forget.

The best book I have ever listened to.....

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What a life Victor has had, you cannot stop listening
Very well performed and written
Very highly recommended

Amazing book

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Amazing man, incredible life, important story for us all. Definitely not just another war book.

An important book

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A proper account, written by an amazing man. And brilliantly narrated too. A must for any WW2 enthusiast.

Awesome book

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