Herb B.
This is an interesting read about an otherwise anonymous WWII veteran that did nothing of note to earn histories appreciation. But it proves that his generation had nerves of steel, determination, and the pure guts to do dangerous things that seem stupid, but need to be done. The author did a really good job illuminating what the French Resistance was able to accomplish, and the hazards they worked through. It will give you a deeper sense of awe for what it took to get airmen (or anyone) out of Nazi occupied territory. Reading through the lines, you can easily get a sense of the resources Germany put into maintaining France as a safe place for German soldiers. I have to say, in realizing just how much effort, money, and manpower the Nazi's must have put into occupying France alone, thank God those resources weren't thrown at the front lines. One distracting thing, for me, is that the book is clearly written from a family viewpoint. This is fine, it just makes for some awkward moments where it jumps off the page and gets in your face. But it doesn't otherwise distract from the story or change the tension of a passage. The narrator did a good job of pacing and relating tension, along with the more lighthearted and touching moments.