Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence.

Maxwell Smart was just a boy when the Nazis came for him and his family. Within a few weeks, he would find himself alone, living in the woods of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. This is the astonishing story of his survival, told by Maxwell himself and documentary filmmaker Rebecca Snow.

Rebecca directed the feature film The Boy in the Woods, based on Maxwell's memoir of the same name.

Produced by James Hickmann, Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW’.

We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com">ds.hh@historyhit.com.

You can take part in our listener survey here.