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Downed Allied Airmen and Evasion of Capture
The Role of Local Resistance Networks in World War II
by Bodson, Herman; Foreword by Bradbury, Colonel J.W.
In the study of the past, it is sometimes all too easy to forget that history is made not by groups or governments but by ordinary individuals. That point becomes clear in this book, which examines one of the major resistance operations of World War II and reveals history through the eyes of the individual. During WWII, the citizens of occupied countries played a large role in resistance operations.This volume deals specifically with escape and evasion in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, an operation in which the author himself was directly involved. With particular attention to historical accuracy and detail, the author, a Belgian, discusses the role, which these lines of escape played in the lives of airmen who were forced to bail out over enemy territory. He describes the ever-present risks the usually nameless patriots faced, such as the danger of exposure and the threat of traitorous infiltration. Specific escape lines are traced geographically and their main participants discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the role of women in this resistance operation. Throughout the book, the reader benefits not only from the author’s own personal recollections but also from his later on-location research. The final chapter concludes with statistical information directly related to this little known aspect of World War II. Appendices include lists of the airmen helped by the resistance movement.
Paperback, 216 pages, Photographs, maps, notes, bibliography, appendices, index
USD 34.95 / CAD 48.95