By Peter Eisner
Compared to Casablanca through the Washington Post, this a page–turning tale of a gaggle of resistance staff who secreted downed Allied fighter pilots via France and into defense in Spain in the course of global struggle II.
As conflict raged opposed to Hitler's Germany, more and more Allied fliers have been shot down on missions opposed to Nazi ambitions in occupied Europe. Many fliers parachuted appropriately at the back of enemy traces in simple terms to discover themselves stranded and hunted down by way of the Gestapo. The Freedom Line strains the exciting and actual tale of Robert Grimes, a 20–year–old American B–17 pilot whose aircraft used to be shot down over Belgium on Oct. 20, 1943. Wounded, disoriented, and scared, he used to be rescued through operatives of the Comet Line, a bunch of tenacious younger ladies and males from Belgium, France, and Spain who joined forces to rescue the Allied aircrews and take them to protection. And on Christmas Eve 1943, he and a gaggle of fellow american citizens confronted unforeseen unexpected probability and tragedy at the border among France and Spain.
the line to protection used to be a treacherous trip by way of educate, via bicycle, and taking walks that stretched hundreds and hundreds of miles throughout occupied France to the Pyrenees Mountains on the Spanish border. Armed with guile and spirit, the selfless civilian combatants of the Comet Line had risked their lives to create this underground railroad, and by means of this time within the warfare, that they had stored 1000's of american citizens, British, Australians, and different Allied airmen.
according to interviews with the survivors and in–depth archival examine, The Freedom Line is the tale of a gaggle of acquaintances who selected to behave all alone out of a deep appreciate for liberty and human dignity. Theirs was once a braveness that presumed to tackle a fearfully strong foe with few defences.
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Extra resources for The Freedom Line: The Brave Men and Women Who Rescued Allied Airmen from the Nazis During World War II
A number of days later, they hatched one other get away plan, this yet one more unbelievable than the 1st. Auntie Go’s contacts round Bayonne have been clerks, workmen, even Frenchmen infiltrated one of the criminal guards who could support them. Comet may perhaps use those assets to smuggle messages to and from Dédée. they'd trap a number of of the legal guards on responsibility to their acquaintances’ bar and get them inebriated. Jean-François and Johnson, donning stolen German uniforms, then may stroll all the way through front gate. upfront, the plumber may open the air flow duct close to Dédée’s cellphone and get her out to the backyard. Plan B concerned smuggling her out in a wood barrel. None of this scheming ever got here to whatever, simply because Dédée was once moved to a different felony sooner than info on both version should be applied. the recent felony was once known as the White condominium and was once situated in one other a part of the town. They thought of additional get away techniques, yet those additionally have been thrown off stability after they got a brand new caution from Dédée. The Germans have been making headway of their interrogation of the pilots. anything undesirable was once going to occur. one of many British fliers used to be overwhelmed into telling the Gestapo that he famous the secure condo the place they’d been sheltered ahead of becoming a member of Dédée within the mountains. It used to be the house of Jean Dassié, who had stored them through embracing Auntie cross in the course of their try to spring Dédée on the wall of Villa Chagrin. Dassié, who had misplaced an arm in international struggle I, was once a manager on the phone trade and will display screen German communications all over the place southwestern France. yet he was once stuck unexpectedly whilst the Gestapo swooped down on his condo and seized him and his spouse. Auntie pass hopped on her bicycle, caution the remainder of the community to lie low and steer clear of different secure homes that would were compromised. Dédée used to be dismayed to work out Dassié and his spouse status sooner than her at one interrogation consultation, yet she realized that not one of the others in Bayonne have been stuck. by way of now, Dédée’s association had turn into a tremendous concentration for MI9 get away headquarters, Room 900 on the battle workplace in London. The MI9 operatives had turn into emotionally considering the exploits of this younger lady and her neighbors. Comet Line have been assigned to significant Airey Neave, a former prisoner of battle himself. He virtually cried as he learn the cable from Creswell approximately Dédée, asserting, “the worst factor of all used to be to be chairborn in London and not able to do something yet stay up for information. ” Dédée’s father used to be imploring the British for support. MI9, in flip, used its foreign pink pass contacts to argue that Dédée was once not anything greater than a nurse wrongly imprisoned. British intelligence was once wary, in spite of the fact that, figuring out they ran the chance of calling recognition to her in the event that they expressed an excessive amount of curiosity in her case. Pained via Dédée’s seize and the sensation of powerlessness, Airey Neave determined to ship reenforcements from London—including a Belgian radio operator who were receiving insurgency education. The desire was once that the younger operative might provide the Comet Line direct touch with London for the 1st time.