The French Resistance

Wendy Barish

really liked it 4.0 · Rating details · 5 Ratings · 1 Review

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Hardcover, 192 pages

Published April 1st 1984 by Holiday House (first published 1984)

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Jun 10, 2011 Drew C rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book by Don Lawson is a quick and easy read. That's not to say it is poorly written or lacking in information. It isn't.

The author, Don Lawson, was an US 9th Air Force Counter-Intelligence Officer in Great Britain and Europe during World War II that went on to write several non-fiction books about various espionage related topics from that era. Later in his career he continued writing, this time focusing on non-fiction for the young-adult demographic. This book appears to be one of those ef This book by Don Lawson is a quick and easy read. That's not to say it is poorly written or lacking in information. It isn't.

The author, Don Lawson, was an US 9th Air Force Counter-Intelligence Officer in Great Britain and Europe during World War II that went on to write several non-fiction books about various espionage related topics from that era. Later in his career he continued writing, this time focusing on non-fiction for the young-adult demographic. This book appears to be one of those efforts (as indicated on the copyright page).

Despite being listed as Juvenile literature and not being too wordy or lengthy at 180 or so pages, The French Resistance: The True Story of the Underground War Against the Nazis! covers exactly what it claims to - the French Resistance during WWII. The author does well in describing the origins and key figures in the many resistance groups that existed after the fall of Paris in 1939, their unification and their peripheral connections to American and British Intelligence Officers and diplomats. Their methods and tactics of sabotage and subversion are discussed and many daring episodes are recounted. Specific incidents of their effectiveness in collecting and covertly passing key intelligence discussed - for example, it is unknown by many that the French Resistance collected and forwarded the information they obtained about an early warning of an imminent attack on Pearl Harbor through a Resistance-friendly Double-Agent placed on US Soil by the Nazis.

This is my first book on this specific topic, so I can't really speak to how entirely the subject was covered - but I CAN say that I know a lot more about what the French Resistance did to aid the Allied Invasion, rescue friendly pilots downed behind enemy lines, many times, putting their own lives in grave danger and resist and covertly strike at Nazi controlled territory from within. It must be remembered that many of these individuals were just civilians with no espionage or military training; just a love of country and a desire to oust the evil forces occupying it. The resolve and courage shown by these brave men and women deserves a much brighter spot in the history of how the Allies won the war.

Update: goodreads lists this book by Lawson under the wrong author. I checked the ISBN to confirm I am rating/reviewing the correct book ...more

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