DOUG GOLD AUTHOR
DOUG GOLD AUTHOR
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THE NOTE THROUGH THE WIRE

‘The Note Through The Wire’ is an extraordinary true love story that emerges against all odds between a New Zealand soldier and a Slovene resistance fighter both fighting for freedom in Hitler-occupied Europe.

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Praise For ‘The Note Through The Wire’

“…unforgettable…can’t RECOMMEND it ENOUGH”

Heather Morris, The tattooist of auschwitz

“Gold Sets a brisk pace and vividly describes the landscape of war-torn Europe. This WWII love story enthralls”

Publishers Weekly USA

“The book is sensational – an absolute page turnER”.

 The Australian women’s weekly

“Well-researched and pieced together, the book will appeal to fans of wartime love stories and resistance tales in general… A memorable and uplifting work”.

Kirkus

  • “This real-life love story is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.”

    Brisbane Courier Mail

    “The story is gripping and, ultimately, uplifting…”

    Sunday star times

    “As World War II non-fiction novels go, it’s as gripping as it gets…The book is full of brave deeds, betrayals, suspenseful near misses and horrendous atrocities…”

    north and south magazine

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WATCH THE INTERVIEW with doug gold

Reviews

“The Note Through the Wire is a moving and uplifting story of love, courage and bravery amidst the horrors of war. It is a reminder that even in the most horrific times love will find a way and ultimately conquer. I can’t recommend it enough.”
— Heather Morris, author of the global best-seller The Tattooist of Auschwitz
 
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POWs at Stalag XVIIID in Maribor (History and Art Collection/Alamy)

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Maribor Bridge Destroyed by the Defeated Yugoslav Army to Slow the German advance (Archive PL/ Alamy)

 
“A truly gripping and emotional story set in Nazi-occupied Europe. How one scribbled note passed between two strangers led to an enduring love defies belief. Yet it is true.”
— John McBeth, radio and television personality
“It had me after reading the first page. I have read a few “war stories” but none as descriptive as this. Josefine and Bruce were remarkable people, how they had the strength to survive was amazing.”
— Barry Jones, Rangiora
 
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Adolf Hitler On Maribor Bridge, April 1941 (Bundesarchiv bild 121-0723)

The Note Through The Wire NZ Book Doug Gould

A Group of Female Yugoslav Partisans (http://znaci.net/damjan/fotogalerija)

 
“I’m reading The Note Through The Wire for a second time now! And it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s an incredible account of Bruce and Josefine’s story - what they both went through in the war and also the coincidences that brought them together.”
— Julie Kayes, Auckland

Read a Sample Chapter

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In the heart of Nazi-occupied Europe, two people meet fleetingly in a chance encounter. One is an underground resistance fighter; the other a prisoner of war. A crumpled note passes between these two strangers and sets them on a course that will change their lives forever.

The Note Through the Wire is based on the true story of Josefine Lobnik, a Yugoslav partisan heroine, and Bruce Murray, a New Zealand soldier who, due to a succession of near-impossible coincidences, discover love in the midst of a brutal war.

Woven through their tales of great bravery, daring escapes, betrayal, torture and retaliation is their remarkable love story that survived against all odds. This is the extraordinary backstory of a seemingly ordinary Kiwi couple who found each other in the midst of Hitler's barbaric regime.

 
 
 
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characters

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Bruce Murray

A New Zealand soldier who fought – and was wounded – in the disastrous WWII Greece campaign. He fled to the Peloponnese to avoid capture but was forced to seek medical treatment for his injury after a few days on the run. He was captured by the Germans, hospitalised and, after short spells in two transit camps, embarked on a torturous five-day rail journey – marked by death, deprivation and near-starvation – before being incarcerated in Stalag XVIIID in Maribor, Slovenia.

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Josefine Lobnik

An 18 year-old Slovene partisan – later decorated for bravery – whose whole family had joined the resistance movement. Her family lived in Limbuš, near Maribor, in the heart of Nazi-occupied Slovenia.

Josefine helped numerous Allied soldiers and POWs escape from Slovenia by guiding them to freedom, often right under the noses of the occupying Germans. She also undertook other perilous partisan missions.

Letters

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Excerpt of a letter from Bruce to Josefine explaining how he and Frank jumped on a Russian truck to get to Budapest.

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A letter Josefine had translated into English explaining that their house had burned down.

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A letter Bruce received in August 1947 advising of yet another bureaucratic delay in getting Josefine to London.

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A letter Josefine had translated into English complaining about not having received any mail from Bruce.

GALLERY

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Anica Lobnik: Liaison Officer for the Slovene Partisans with a Price on her Head. Arrested and Tortured by the Nazis.

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Josefine’s Award for Bravery for Helping Allied Servicemen Escape

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Jožef Lobnik: Slovene Patriot who was Persecuted by the Germans.

 
 
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Leopold “Polde” Lobnik: Captured by the Nazis and Incarcerated at Flossenbürg and Dachau Concentration Camps.

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Roman Lobnik: Arrested and Tortured by the Nazis. Seriously Injured Twice in Partisan Battles.

 
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Adolf Hitler in Maribor , 26 April 1941 (http://www.znaci.net/00003/518)

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Leopold Lobnik’s Concentration Camp Entry Record

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Slovene Citizens Murdered in Nazi Reprisals

 
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New Zealand Infantry on Manoeuvres in Egypt, 1941 (Ref: DA-02134-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand)

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Bruce Murray (circled) Relaxing with Fellow Soldiers in the Swimming Baths at Maadi Camp, Cairo

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Postcard of Maribor 1939

 
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New Zealand Soldiers in Action

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Bookies at a Mock Race Meeting at Stalag XVIIIA, 1944. The Prisoner Wearing Sunglasses is Believed to be Bruce Murray (Ref: DA-10406-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand)

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Suspected Partisan Hung by the Nazis

 
 
 
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Bruce Murray (back row, right hand side) at a POW Work Camp.

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Bruce Murray (back row, middle) with a Group of POW Farm Workers.

 
 
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Russian POWs at Stalag XVIIIA (Ref: DA-11663-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand)

 
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Guard Tower and Layout of Stalag XVIIIA (Source: Naturpuur)