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They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France
“Highly detailed and fast-paced, Charles Glass’s They Fought Alone is a must-read for those whose passion is the Resistance literature of World War II.” —Alan Furst, author of A Hero of France
From the bestselling author of Americans in Paris and The Deserters , the astounding story of Britain's Special Operations Executive, one of World War II's most important secret fighting forces
As far as the public knew, Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) did not exist. After the defeat of the French Army and Britain's retreat from the Continent in June 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill created the top-secret espionage operation to "set Europe ablaze." The agents infiltrated Nazi-occupied territory, parachuting behind enemy lines and hiding in plain sight, quietly but forcefully recruiting, training, and arming local French résistants to attack the German war machine. SOE would not only change the course of the war, but the nature of combat itself. Of the many brave men and women conscripted, two Anglo-American recruits, the Starr brothers, stood out to become legendary figures to the guerillas, assassins, and saboteurs they led.
While both brothers were sent across the channel to organize against the Germans, their fates in war could hardly have been more different. Captain George Starr commanded networks of résistants in southwest France, cutting German communications, destroying weapons factories, and delaying the arrival of Nazi troops to Normandy by seventeen days after D-Day. Younger brother Lieutenant John Starr laid groundwork for resistance in the Burgundy countryside until he was betrayed, captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the Nazis in France and sent to a series of concentration camps in Germany and Austria. Feats of boldness and bravado were many, but appalling scandals, including George's supposed torture and execution of Nazis prisoners, and John's alleged collaboration with his German captors, overshadowed them all. At the war's end, Britain, France, and the United States awarded both brothers medals for heroism, and George would become one of only three among thousands of SOE operatives to achieve the rank of colonel. Yet, their battle honors did little to allay postwar allegations against them, and when they returned to England, their government accused both brothers of heinous war crimes.
Here, for the first time, is the story of one of the great clandestine organizations of World War II, and of two heroic brothers whose ordeals during and after the war challenged the accepted myths of Britain's wartime resistance in occupied France. Written with complete and unrivaled access to only recently declassified documents from Britain's SOE files, French archives, family letters, diaries, and court records, along with interviews from surviving wartime Resistance fighters, They Fought Alone is a real-life thriller. Renowned journalist and war correspondent Charles Glass exposes a dramatic tale of spies, sabotage, and the daring men and women who risked everything to change the course of World War II.
From the bestselling author of Americans in Paris and The Deserters , the astounding story of Britain's Special Operations Executive, one of World War II's most important secret fighting forces
As far as the public knew, Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) did not exist. After the defeat of the French Army and Britain's retreat from the Continent in June 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill created the top-secret espionage operation to "set Europe ablaze." The agents infiltrated Nazi-occupied territory, parachuting behind enemy lines and hiding in plain sight, quietly but forcefully recruiting, training, and arming local French résistants to attack the German war machine. SOE would not only change the course of the war, but the nature of combat itself. Of the many brave men and women conscripted, two Anglo-American recruits, the Starr brothers, stood out to become legendary figures to the guerillas, assassins, and saboteurs they led.
While both brothers were sent across the channel to organize against the Germans, their fates in war could hardly have been more different. Captain George Starr commanded networks of résistants in southwest France, cutting German communications, destroying weapons factories, and delaying the arrival of Nazi troops to Normandy by seventeen days after D-Day. Younger brother Lieutenant John Starr laid groundwork for resistance in the Burgundy countryside until he was betrayed, captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the Nazis in France and sent to a series of concentration camps in Germany and Austria. Feats of boldness and bravado were many, but appalling scandals, including George's supposed torture and execution of Nazis prisoners, and John's alleged collaboration with his German captors, overshadowed them all. At the war's end, Britain, France, and the United States awarded both brothers medals for heroism, and George would become one of only three among thousands of SOE operatives to achieve the rank of colonel. Yet, their battle honors did little to allay postwar allegations against them, and when they returned to England, their government accused both brothers of heinous war crimes.
Here, for the first time, is the story of one of the great clandestine organizations of World War II, and of two heroic brothers whose ordeals during and after the war challenged the accepted myths of Britain's wartime resistance in occupied France. Written with complete and unrivaled access to only recently declassified documents from Britain's SOE files, French archives, family letters, diaries, and court records, along with interviews from surviving wartime Resistance fighters, They Fought Alone is a real-life thriller. Renowned journalist and war correspondent Charles Glass exposes a dramatic tale of spies, sabotage, and the daring men and women who risked everything to change the course of World War II.
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 11, 2018
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618 people want to read
About the author
Charles Glass
33 books65 followersCharles Glass is an author, journalist and broadcaster, who specializes in the Middle East. He made headlines when taken hostage for 62 days in Lebanon by Shi’a militants in 1987, while writing a book during his time as ABC’s News chief Middle East correspondent. He writes regularly for the New York Review of Books, Harper’s, the London Review of Books and The Spectator. He is the author of Syria Burning, Tribes with Flags, Money for Old Rope, The Tribes Triumphant, The Northern Front, Americans in Paris and Deserters: A Hidden History of World War II.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 25, 2018
Although this is pitched as something of a docu-drama, the author has gone to some lengths to make it purely non-fiction. And in the very-disputed territory of French Resistance legends, that is not easily said or done. What Glass has concentrated on here is the splintered paths of two brothers, both British undercover officers, sent to France to work in clandestine operations during the German occupation. There is so much fiction and targeted exaggeration about France under the occupation that no one narrative defines it; it's good to have well researched non-fiction that helps to map the era.
Glass's account has three acts, organizing the underground maquisards & prepping for Normandy, the allied invasion itself & the guerilla work behind the lines, and then the straggling threads of the aftermath, often contrary or bittersweet for the resistance. As with any non-fiction, the exposition gets fairly elaborate, a little bit overly methodical. That said, when the moment comes, there is a visceral blast of action:
At a little before nine o'clock, the hour for the BBC's Messages Personnels, Yvonne Cormeau left the house alone. She walked to the barn, climbed up the hayloft ladder, and dug into the straw. Her wireless receiver lay in its familiar hiding hole. She assembled its four parts, hooked up the aerial, and put on her headphones. The radio sputtered static and German propaganda until she found the frequency of Radio Londres. The announcer greeted listeners with the familiar preamble, "Les Francais parlent aux Francais," --"The French speak to the French." Next came a litany of apparently meaningless phrases that made sense only to selected resistants. "That evening, 306 messages were sent out by the BBC; and that night, for the very first time, every single message was loaded with meaning," said Maurice Buckmaster, SOE Colonel, F-section, London.
"Wilma says yes" was code for destroying the Angouleme-Bordeaux railroad. "It's hot in Suez" decreed the cutting of telephone and telegrah cables. "The dice are on the table" and other doggerel told operatives from Calais to Marseille to demolish, rampage, and kill in a wave of terrorist violence to disrupt and distract the German occupiers. At last, Yvonne Cormeau heard, "Ia a une voix de fausset,"--"He has a falsetto voice".
"I didn't even bother to go down the ladder," she said later, "but jumped down so as to tell everybody about it, because this was the culminating moment of our mission--"
The message meant the Normandy landing would be at dawn on the following day.
The central plots are the nighttime work of the underground, often here a wild alignment of French nationals, Spanish communists, English & American special operatives. A gradeschool teacher with her schoolhouse of children-- perhaps on a class field trip to a cathedral or similar--- often made as good an intelligence operative as a courier on a stolen motorcycle. Here the documentary approach of the author is borne out; the real thing is more exciting than what might be invented, a colorful insurgency taking place in secret by moonlight-- and the even more-dangerous exploits undertaken in broad daylight.
It should be said that each and every aspect here of clandestine organization, underground communication, sabotage and adventures in general-- introduce new names and place names in every clause or clarifying statement. I know of no fiction that has as many named participants, villages, towns, rivers, canals, forests, ridges, roads, nationalities & military entities. The wary reader should know that of the hundred or so participants, there are at most only ten or a dozen key characters, and that a general knowledge of the French terrain and frontier area will get you by.
Maybe it's something of a spoiler, but la Résistance was successful. What was not a success was unravelling the movement to align with the takeover by newly arrived uniformed allies, new to the terrain and the struggle. As it turns out, even the Brits, Spaniards and Americans who served in the underground couldn't disentangle themselves from the maelstrom of the gruesome land war in Europe; many ended under suspicion, or buried in back offices, or even under court martial. Some were swept into the concentration camps in Germany before their eventual liberation. The story at hand in "They Fought Alone" owes much to the fact that a trial was conducted by the British, persecuting their own man in France, for war crimes.
There remains a nagging unreliability about everything that happens in an occupied zone, or in the same zone once open war has arrived. Scores to be settled, war profiteering, risk-averse warriors and the occasional barbarism of the resistance movement itself-- all come back to haunt the participants. Wartime heroics, as with wartime crimes, are inevitably obscured and filed deep in that famous, if dusty, catch-all file drawer, "War, Fog-of".
Glass's account has three acts, organizing the underground maquisards & prepping for Normandy, the allied invasion itself & the guerilla work behind the lines, and then the straggling threads of the aftermath, often contrary or bittersweet for the resistance. As with any non-fiction, the exposition gets fairly elaborate, a little bit overly methodical. That said, when the moment comes, there is a visceral blast of action:
At a little before nine o'clock, the hour for the BBC's Messages Personnels, Yvonne Cormeau left the house alone. She walked to the barn, climbed up the hayloft ladder, and dug into the straw. Her wireless receiver lay in its familiar hiding hole. She assembled its four parts, hooked up the aerial, and put on her headphones. The radio sputtered static and German propaganda until she found the frequency of Radio Londres. The announcer greeted listeners with the familiar preamble, "Les Francais parlent aux Francais," --"The French speak to the French." Next came a litany of apparently meaningless phrases that made sense only to selected resistants. "That evening, 306 messages were sent out by the BBC; and that night, for the very first time, every single message was loaded with meaning," said Maurice Buckmaster, SOE Colonel, F-section, London.
"Wilma says yes" was code for destroying the Angouleme-Bordeaux railroad. "It's hot in Suez" decreed the cutting of telephone and telegrah cables. "The dice are on the table" and other doggerel told operatives from Calais to Marseille to demolish, rampage, and kill in a wave of terrorist violence to disrupt and distract the German occupiers. At last, Yvonne Cormeau heard, "Ia a une voix de fausset,"--"He has a falsetto voice".
"I didn't even bother to go down the ladder," she said later, "but jumped down so as to tell everybody about it, because this was the culminating moment of our mission--"
The message meant the Normandy landing would be at dawn on the following day.
The central plots are the nighttime work of the underground, often here a wild alignment of French nationals, Spanish communists, English & American special operatives. A gradeschool teacher with her schoolhouse of children-- perhaps on a class field trip to a cathedral or similar--- often made as good an intelligence operative as a courier on a stolen motorcycle. Here the documentary approach of the author is borne out; the real thing is more exciting than what might be invented, a colorful insurgency taking place in secret by moonlight-- and the even more-dangerous exploits undertaken in broad daylight.
It should be said that each and every aspect here of clandestine organization, underground communication, sabotage and adventures in general-- introduce new names and place names in every clause or clarifying statement. I know of no fiction that has as many named participants, villages, towns, rivers, canals, forests, ridges, roads, nationalities & military entities. The wary reader should know that of the hundred or so participants, there are at most only ten or a dozen key characters, and that a general knowledge of the French terrain and frontier area will get you by.
Maybe it's something of a spoiler, but la Résistance was successful. What was not a success was unravelling the movement to align with the takeover by newly arrived uniformed allies, new to the terrain and the struggle. As it turns out, even the Brits, Spaniards and Americans who served in the underground couldn't disentangle themselves from the maelstrom of the gruesome land war in Europe; many ended under suspicion, or buried in back offices, or even under court martial. Some were swept into the concentration camps in Germany before their eventual liberation. The story at hand in "They Fought Alone" owes much to the fact that a trial was conducted by the British, persecuting their own man in France, for war crimes.
There remains a nagging unreliability about everything that happens in an occupied zone, or in the same zone once open war has arrived. Scores to be settled, war profiteering, risk-averse warriors and the occasional barbarism of the resistance movement itself-- all come back to haunt the participants. Wartime heroics, as with wartime crimes, are inevitably obscured and filed deep in that famous, if dusty, catch-all file drawer, "War, Fog-of".
June 21, 2018
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
If you know anything about SOE then you have heard about the Starr brothers, maybe not in depth and maybe just by their code names, but you have heard them. John Starr was at Avenue Foch at the same as Noor Khan and was one of the men who planned an escape attempt with her.
Charles Glass presents the story of the brothers’ actions in SOE during the second World War. George Starr avoided capture and lead a rather effective group of resistance operatives in occupied France. His brother, John Starr, was not as lucky.
In many ways, using the two brothers, Glass shows the divergent paths an SOE operative could take. Capture in most case, meant torture and death. But freedom could mean death as well, but also to strike against the Nazis, then possibly, possibly honors after the war.
Not that those who joined SOE did so for honors; it was a top-secret organization after all.
The book’s one problem is the same problem that is in any book about SOE, what is the truth and what actually happened. It’s hard, and then you have to factor in the times, the situation and all that.
To be fair, Glass does his best. He does note when something is rumor and when something is fact. If there are two divergent stories, he gives both with context and pros and cons. This is especially important when dealing with John Starr’s story as his is less clear cut than his brothers. Did he help the enemy or not, if he did is he at fault are questions that Glass must attend to, and he does, quite well. While he is sympathetic to his subjects, he is not blind or totally in awe. It is a balanced recounting.
The Starrs are the focus of the book, but Glass does give time to various members of the Circuit and other prisoners.
This book is nice addition to the works about the members of SOE.
If you know anything about SOE then you have heard about the Starr brothers, maybe not in depth and maybe just by their code names, but you have heard them. John Starr was at Avenue Foch at the same as Noor Khan and was one of the men who planned an escape attempt with her.
Charles Glass presents the story of the brothers’ actions in SOE during the second World War. George Starr avoided capture and lead a rather effective group of resistance operatives in occupied France. His brother, John Starr, was not as lucky.
In many ways, using the two brothers, Glass shows the divergent paths an SOE operative could take. Capture in most case, meant torture and death. But freedom could mean death as well, but also to strike against the Nazis, then possibly, possibly honors after the war.
Not that those who joined SOE did so for honors; it was a top-secret organization after all.
The book’s one problem is the same problem that is in any book about SOE, what is the truth and what actually happened. It’s hard, and then you have to factor in the times, the situation and all that.
To be fair, Glass does his best. He does note when something is rumor and when something is fact. If there are two divergent stories, he gives both with context and pros and cons. This is especially important when dealing with John Starr’s story as his is less clear cut than his brothers. Did he help the enemy or not, if he did is he at fault are questions that Glass must attend to, and he does, quite well. While he is sympathetic to his subjects, he is not blind or totally in awe. It is a balanced recounting.
The Starrs are the focus of the book, but Glass does give time to various members of the Circuit and other prisoners.
This book is nice addition to the works about the members of SOE.
July 17, 2019
I am intrigued by everything I read about Britain’s WWII secret spy machine, the Secret Operations Executive (SOE). “They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France” by Charles Glass advanced my SOE knowledge greatly as it recounts the real-life story of two Anglo-American recruits, the Starr brothers, who become legends among those who fought the Nazis at any cost.
—
As the Publisher’s Note explains:
From the bestselling author of Americans in Paris and The Deserters, comes the astounding story of Britain's Special Operations Executive, one of World War II's most important secret fighting forces:
As far as the public knew, Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) did not exist. After the defeat of the French Army and Britain's retreat from the Continent in June 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill created the top-secret espionage operation to "set Europe ablaze." The agents infiltrated Nazi-occupied territory, parachuting behind enemy lines and hiding in plain sight, quietly but forcefully recruiting, training, and arming local French résistants to attack the German war machine. SOE would not only change the course of the war, but the nature of combat itself. Of the many brave men and women conscripted, two Anglo-American recruits, the Starr brothers, stood out to become legendary figures to the guerillas, assassins, and saboteurs they led.
While both brothers were sent across the channel to organize against the Germans, their fates in war could hardly have been more different. Captain George Starr commanded networks of résistants in southwest France, cutting German communications, destroying weapons factories, and delaying the arrival of Nazi troops to Normandy by seventeen days after D-Day. Younger brother Lieutenant John Starr laid groundwork for resistance in the Burgundy countryside until he was betrayed, captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the Nazis in France and sent to a series of concentration camps in Germany and Austria.
Feats of boldness and bravado were many, but appalling scandals, including George's supposed torture and execution of Nazis prisoners, and John's alleged collaboration with his German captors, overshadowed them all. At the war's end, Britain, France, and the United States awarded both brothers medals for heroism, and George would become one of only three among thousands of SOE operatives to achieve the rank of colonel. Yet, their battle honors did little to allay postwar allegations against them, and when they returned to England, their government accused both brothers of heinous war crimes.”
Here, for the first time, is the story of one of the great clandestine organizations of World War II, and of two heroic brothers whose ordeals during and after the war challenged the accepted myths of Britain's wartime resistance in occupied France. Written with complete and unrivaled access to only recently declassified documents from Britain's SOE files, French archives, family letters, diaries, and court records, along with interviews from surviving wartime Resistance fighters, They Fought Alone is a real-life thriller. Renowned journalist and war correspondent Charles Glass exposes a dramatic tale of spies, sabotage, and the daring men and women who risked everything to change the course of World War II.
—
“They Fought Alone” will keep you up into the wee hours as you follow the exploits of these SOE legends. Highly recommended!
Pub Date 11 Sep 2018
Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP The Penguin Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#TheyFoughtAlone #NetGalley
—
As the Publisher’s Note explains:
From the bestselling author of Americans in Paris and The Deserters, comes the astounding story of Britain's Special Operations Executive, one of World War II's most important secret fighting forces:
As far as the public knew, Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) did not exist. After the defeat of the French Army and Britain's retreat from the Continent in June 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill created the top-secret espionage operation to "set Europe ablaze." The agents infiltrated Nazi-occupied territory, parachuting behind enemy lines and hiding in plain sight, quietly but forcefully recruiting, training, and arming local French résistants to attack the German war machine. SOE would not only change the course of the war, but the nature of combat itself. Of the many brave men and women conscripted, two Anglo-American recruits, the Starr brothers, stood out to become legendary figures to the guerillas, assassins, and saboteurs they led.
While both brothers were sent across the channel to organize against the Germans, their fates in war could hardly have been more different. Captain George Starr commanded networks of résistants in southwest France, cutting German communications, destroying weapons factories, and delaying the arrival of Nazi troops to Normandy by seventeen days after D-Day. Younger brother Lieutenant John Starr laid groundwork for resistance in the Burgundy countryside until he was betrayed, captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the Nazis in France and sent to a series of concentration camps in Germany and Austria.
Feats of boldness and bravado were many, but appalling scandals, including George's supposed torture and execution of Nazis prisoners, and John's alleged collaboration with his German captors, overshadowed them all. At the war's end, Britain, France, and the United States awarded both brothers medals for heroism, and George would become one of only three among thousands of SOE operatives to achieve the rank of colonel. Yet, their battle honors did little to allay postwar allegations against them, and when they returned to England, their government accused both brothers of heinous war crimes.”
Here, for the first time, is the story of one of the great clandestine organizations of World War II, and of two heroic brothers whose ordeals during and after the war challenged the accepted myths of Britain's wartime resistance in occupied France. Written with complete and unrivaled access to only recently declassified documents from Britain's SOE files, French archives, family letters, diaries, and court records, along with interviews from surviving wartime Resistance fighters, They Fought Alone is a real-life thriller. Renowned journalist and war correspondent Charles Glass exposes a dramatic tale of spies, sabotage, and the daring men and women who risked everything to change the course of World War II.
—
“They Fought Alone” will keep you up into the wee hours as you follow the exploits of these SOE legends. Highly recommended!
Pub Date 11 Sep 2018
Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP The Penguin Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#TheyFoughtAlone #NetGalley
January 2, 2019
Starting the year by dabbling in military history again--this time British agents working with the resistance in occupied France during World War II. I hadn't noticed the subtitle until I started writing up my notes--and it's a bit of a misnomer. While the book focuses on the Starr brothers--one worked in southwest France throughout the war and the other, who had operated in Burgundy, was betrayed in 1943 and may have cooperated with the Nazis before being sent to concentration camps. Their stories are fascinating, but other agents are also featured, some of whom I remember from Shadow Women of World War II. Endless details of operations with partisans to derail Nazi efforts, well-researched, earnest and gritty. The book is compelling despite the minutiae--and narrator Alan Corduner is in large part responsible for that. He mirrors the danger and excitement--listening is an excellent way to become immersed in the story, which I found more interesting than I expected--except for the details of torture, which I can always do without. For fans of military history, WWII, as well as readers interested in the nonfiction background for many popular novels.
September 11, 2022
This non-fiction story line of the Agents George and John Starr behind Nazi lines during WW2 looked like a fascinating read. However, I was very disappointed with Glass's habit of failing to notice his own biases in his writing when retelling real events in his own words. In particular, I did not appreciate the need for every woman to be introduced with whether she was attractive or not.
In this retelling/recounting of real events, Glass seemed to ignore the ugliness of George Starr by downplaying his actions against allies, victims, and prisoners of war. Going as far as to excuse his over the top sexism and general power hungry actions during the war, while also failing to describe women and their success/contributions during the war without describing their attractiveness and/or sex life in the same paragraph.
On the bright side - if you really want to get hammered in a short amount of time, read this book and take a shot every time a woman's attractiveness is mentioned or when George Starr (the "hero" of this story) hates women for not being men.
In this retelling/recounting of real events, Glass seemed to ignore the ugliness of George Starr by downplaying his actions against allies, victims, and prisoners of war. Going as far as to excuse his over the top sexism and general power hungry actions during the war, while also failing to describe women and their success/contributions during the war without describing their attractiveness and/or sex life in the same paragraph.
On the bright side - if you really want to get hammered in a short amount of time, read this book and take a shot every time a woman's attractiveness is mentioned or when George Starr (the "hero" of this story) hates women for not being men.
January 2, 2019
Never ever has a book been so mistitled. The book is a boring catalog of all the people George Starr fought with. He was never alone. John Starr never "fought". He spent the war in a comfortable prison. As the blurb says, this is "highly detailed" - to the point of mind-numbing. There were pearls of instances that were interesting and just not more of the same. The book picked up when George's people (thousands by the author's count, so he was alone) actually started doing things after the D-Day invasion, but that was only in the last 50 pages. Frankly, John's stint as a prisoner of the SD in Paris was more interesting than the "fighting" brother. This is more a reference piece than a readable history.
October 13, 2025
Good was very good! Would read again and recommend to others to read
January 8, 2025
THE CONTRASTING STORIES OF TWO BRITISH SECRET AGENTS IN NAZI-OCCUPIED FRANCE
At least four books are in print under the title They Fought Alone. The best-known was the work of Col. Maurice Buckmaster, who led the French section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from March 1941 to the end of World War II. Journalist and broadcaster Charles Glass, author of the most recent addition to this list, acknowledges his considerable debt to Buckmaster, opening each new chapter with a quote from the colonel’s book.
But, unlike others that share the title, Glass’s is an account about the wartime experience of just two SOE agents, George Starr (1904-80) and his younger brother, John (1908-96). In this book, Glass tells the brothers’ amazing stories. They bring fodder to both sides in the ongoing debate about the impact of the SOE and that of the French Resistance. Did the French Resistance make a difference? That’s the question at issue.
TWO BROTHERS, CONTRASTING STORIES
The Starr brothers had grown up in France and spoke the language fluently. When war broke out, John lived in Paris, George in Belgium. They both fled to England, where the new SOE recruited them to parachute into France. Their charge was to organize and support French partisans to sabotage and harass Nazi and collaborationist French forces.
JOHN STARR
John Starr actively served in France from July 1942 until August 1943. He organized and led the Acrobat network in Dijon in eastern France. But a Frenchman he had recruited betrayed him—the experience of many other Allied agents in France—and he was wounded and captured by the Germans then. By all accounts, Starr betrayed no other agents to the Germans. But he lived in comfort with his captors at Gestapo headquarters in Paris.
There, he used his skills as a commercial artist to draw maps and diagrams illustrating the scope of partisan activities throughout France. (The information on which he based the maps came only from the Germans.) His attempt to escape failed. Starr remained a prisoner in France and Germany for the duration of the war, lastly in the Mauthausen concentration camp. After the war, both the British and the French prosecuted him for collaborating with the Nazis.
GEORGE STARR
Meanwhile, by contrast, his older brother George operated successfully behind German lines in France from November 1942 to September 1944. He built and led the vast partisan network codenamed Wheelwright in southwest France. Starr rescued from imprisonment about 50 important resistance leaders and Allied airmen shot down over France.
In the final year of the war, following the Normandy invasion, he helped lead the liberation of the region. He played a leading role in harassing the elite Nazi panzer division Das Reich, slowing its advance to Normandy for two crucial weeks. Starr rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, one of only three SOE agents so honored. And he received the French Croix de Guerre, the British Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order (DSO) as well as the American Medal of Freedom.
DID THE SOE AND THE FRENCH RESISTANCE IT ARMED HAVE A MATERIAL EFFECT ON THE WAR?
Debate continues among close observers of World War II in France about the effectiveness of the French Resistance. In the aftermath of the war, General Dwight Eisenhower famously praised its efforts. Others, most prominently Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery (who was notorious for disagreeing with Eisenhower at every opportunity), downplayed the Resistance’s impact. But it’s possible the two men had in mind two very different aspects of the Resistance’s operations.
Until the spring of 1944, the French Resistance was never a united force. Maquis bands operated largely on their own, often entirely ignorant of other anti-Nazi forces active nearby. And political differences divided them. They were united only in opposing the collaborationist Vichy regime of General Philippe Pétain.
The most aggressive fighters were loyal to the Communist Party and, indirectly, to Joseph Stalin. They were responsible for a great many of the attacks on Nazi troops and officials from 1941 to 1944—attacks which almost invariably triggered retaliation that cost many civilians’ their lives.
Another large group of resistantes answered to General Charles de Gaulle and the Free French organization he headed.
For the most part, they came to the fight much later than the Communists, flocking to the Resistance only as the end of the war came into sight. And the lion’s share of their effort was directed at helping clear the way for the Normandy Invasion.
A third force within the Resistance were those non-Communist patriots who answered not to General de Gaulle but to his rival, General Henri Giraud and his French Committee of National Liberation.
CONTRASTING VIEWS OF THE IMPACT
When General Eisenhower praised the French Resistance, he had in mind its extensive effort to sabotage the French railway network and harass the movement northward toward the Normandy beaches of the powerful German forces located in the south. By nearly all accounts, the Resistance played a significant role in preventing Nazi forces (most prominently the Das Reich division) from reaching the beaches in time.
To be charitable, Field Marshal Montgomery might have been thinking of Resistance efforts to “set Europe ablaze” (to borrow Winston Churchill’s familiar phrase). That effort was mixed at best. And the consequences for France’s civilian population were deplorable. Vindictive Gestapo officers, SS, and Wehrmacht troops as well as the Vichy milice massacred thousands of men, women, and children. 642 died in one village alone. And the impact on German and French collaborationist operations was minimal until the closing months of the war in France. The impact of SOE operations in France must be viewed in that context.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles Glass has reported for both US and British publications and broadcasters from the Middle East. (From 1983 to 1993, he was ABC News chief Middle East correspondent.) Glass specializes in that area and in the Second World War. He is the author of nine books, chiefly about those two subjects. They Fought Alone is his third book about World War II.
Glass holds dual US/UK citizenship. He was born in Los Angeles in 1951. He is the father of three sons and one daughter and has two stepdaughters. Glass lives in France, Italy, Britain, and Lebanon.
At least four books are in print under the title They Fought Alone. The best-known was the work of Col. Maurice Buckmaster, who led the French section of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) from March 1941 to the end of World War II. Journalist and broadcaster Charles Glass, author of the most recent addition to this list, acknowledges his considerable debt to Buckmaster, opening each new chapter with a quote from the colonel’s book.
But, unlike others that share the title, Glass’s is an account about the wartime experience of just two SOE agents, George Starr (1904-80) and his younger brother, John (1908-96). In this book, Glass tells the brothers’ amazing stories. They bring fodder to both sides in the ongoing debate about the impact of the SOE and that of the French Resistance. Did the French Resistance make a difference? That’s the question at issue.
TWO BROTHERS, CONTRASTING STORIES
The Starr brothers had grown up in France and spoke the language fluently. When war broke out, John lived in Paris, George in Belgium. They both fled to England, where the new SOE recruited them to parachute into France. Their charge was to organize and support French partisans to sabotage and harass Nazi and collaborationist French forces.
JOHN STARR
John Starr actively served in France from July 1942 until August 1943. He organized and led the Acrobat network in Dijon in eastern France. But a Frenchman he had recruited betrayed him—the experience of many other Allied agents in France—and he was wounded and captured by the Germans then. By all accounts, Starr betrayed no other agents to the Germans. But he lived in comfort with his captors at Gestapo headquarters in Paris.
There, he used his skills as a commercial artist to draw maps and diagrams illustrating the scope of partisan activities throughout France. (The information on which he based the maps came only from the Germans.) His attempt to escape failed. Starr remained a prisoner in France and Germany for the duration of the war, lastly in the Mauthausen concentration camp. After the war, both the British and the French prosecuted him for collaborating with the Nazis.
GEORGE STARR
Meanwhile, by contrast, his older brother George operated successfully behind German lines in France from November 1942 to September 1944. He built and led the vast partisan network codenamed Wheelwright in southwest France. Starr rescued from imprisonment about 50 important resistance leaders and Allied airmen shot down over France.
In the final year of the war, following the Normandy invasion, he helped lead the liberation of the region. He played a leading role in harassing the elite Nazi panzer division Das Reich, slowing its advance to Normandy for two crucial weeks. Starr rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, one of only three SOE agents so honored. And he received the French Croix de Guerre, the British Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order (DSO) as well as the American Medal of Freedom.
DID THE SOE AND THE FRENCH RESISTANCE IT ARMED HAVE A MATERIAL EFFECT ON THE WAR?
Debate continues among close observers of World War II in France about the effectiveness of the French Resistance. In the aftermath of the war, General Dwight Eisenhower famously praised its efforts. Others, most prominently Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery (who was notorious for disagreeing with Eisenhower at every opportunity), downplayed the Resistance’s impact. But it’s possible the two men had in mind two very different aspects of the Resistance’s operations.
Until the spring of 1944, the French Resistance was never a united force. Maquis bands operated largely on their own, often entirely ignorant of other anti-Nazi forces active nearby. And political differences divided them. They were united only in opposing the collaborationist Vichy regime of General Philippe Pétain.
The most aggressive fighters were loyal to the Communist Party and, indirectly, to Joseph Stalin. They were responsible for a great many of the attacks on Nazi troops and officials from 1941 to 1944—attacks which almost invariably triggered retaliation that cost many civilians’ their lives.
Another large group of resistantes answered to General Charles de Gaulle and the Free French organization he headed.
For the most part, they came to the fight much later than the Communists, flocking to the Resistance only as the end of the war came into sight. And the lion’s share of their effort was directed at helping clear the way for the Normandy Invasion.
A third force within the Resistance were those non-Communist patriots who answered not to General de Gaulle but to his rival, General Henri Giraud and his French Committee of National Liberation.
CONTRASTING VIEWS OF THE IMPACT
When General Eisenhower praised the French Resistance, he had in mind its extensive effort to sabotage the French railway network and harass the movement northward toward the Normandy beaches of the powerful German forces located in the south. By nearly all accounts, the Resistance played a significant role in preventing Nazi forces (most prominently the Das Reich division) from reaching the beaches in time.
To be charitable, Field Marshal Montgomery might have been thinking of Resistance efforts to “set Europe ablaze” (to borrow Winston Churchill’s familiar phrase). That effort was mixed at best. And the consequences for France’s civilian population were deplorable. Vindictive Gestapo officers, SS, and Wehrmacht troops as well as the Vichy milice massacred thousands of men, women, and children. 642 died in one village alone. And the impact on German and French collaborationist operations was minimal until the closing months of the war in France. The impact of SOE operations in France must be viewed in that context.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charles Glass has reported for both US and British publications and broadcasters from the Middle East. (From 1983 to 1993, he was ABC News chief Middle East correspondent.) Glass specializes in that area and in the Second World War. He is the author of nine books, chiefly about those two subjects. They Fought Alone is his third book about World War II.
Glass holds dual US/UK citizenship. He was born in Los Angeles in 1951. He is the father of three sons and one daughter and has two stepdaughters. Glass lives in France, Italy, Britain, and Lebanon.
January 19, 2019
An exhaustively researched look into the lives of two brothers working as secret agents with the anti Nazi resistance in the French underground during World War 2. One is captured early and the other organizes a group that will conduct raids against trains, supply depots and and other buildings. Both are scrutinized at the end of the war for some of their behaviors. John, the inmate, seems to get a lot of special treatment from from his captors which to me was suspicious. Even with his denials I think he might have helped the Nazis. A good book for a narrow audience of World War 2 buffs.
November 19, 2018
Here are the stories of two brothers, George and John Starr, who served with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in wartime France working with members of the French Resistance. SOE had been established by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to "set Europe ablaze" through acts of sabotage, terror, and espionage against the Nazi occupation. George operated with great success in Southwestern France from 1942 until the war's end. John Starr entered France first in 1942, returned to London, than returned to France to work in Burgundy. He was captured, however, interred in Paris and eventually sent to several concentration camps before being repatriated to Switzerland. The stories of both brothers are fast-paced and filled with tension, George's more so, as he operated longer. He faced the risks of traitors, conflicts with fellow agents and members of the Resistance and with superiors in London during and after the war.
The 28 Resistance units George organized were tasked with slowing the flow of German reinforcements from the South of France to Normandy after the D-Day Landings in June 1944. Prior to the invasion his groups conducted successful sabotage missions against military industrial sites. These strikes proved more efficient than bombing missions against the factories as they avoided the risk of collateral damage to French civilians in the area. The greatest challenge was slowing the movement of the German Das Reich armored division to Normandy. That division was noted for its cruelty to civilians who were or who supported Resistance. By sabotaging rail cars meant to carry the tanks North, the Resistance forced the tanks to travel by road, slowing their arrival at the front. To worsen this situation, George's forces destroyed fuel supplies, blocked roads and attacked German troops on the move. The effect was to slow the arrival of the division in Normandy by two additional weeks beyond the expected several days of rail transport. This allowed the Allies time to secure the beaches and move deeper in the countryside.
John was captured as he moved to organize groups within his area. He was betrayed by a double agent who drove him into a German roadblock. Trying to escape, he was shot and seriously wounded. He was taken to Paris where he was imprisoned, tortured, then transferred to a SS headquarters for further interrogation. He found that the Germans were capturing other incoming SOE teams, using their radios to fool London into sending supplies and more teams all of which then Germans scooped up. John Starr learned that London was telling the bogus German radio operators that they were forgetting to send their secret all-clear signal in their transmissions to London. Thus, London was short-circuiting the safeguards built into the system. Starr planned to make himself useful to the Germans without giving up any information that would harm the British and their agents. Meanwhile he would learn all he could about what the Germans knew about SOE operations, escape, and inform SOE headquarters of the situation. He and two other agents managed to escape from the building where they were held, but were recaptured before leaving the area, with the loss of one of the agents to gunfire.
After the war both brothers would fall under suspicion: George for torture and execution of prisoners, and John for suspected cooperation with the enemy. These charges were partially the result of troublesome colleagues and home front busybodies. Author Charles Glass describes the differing outcomes of the charges against them after the war.
This is a detailed view of the underground war on the battlefield where it was fought. There is an extended identification list of characters, photographs, and index, but no maps. Recommended for those interested in the role of the Resistance in wartime France, espionage, and the hidden weaknesses of organizations in wartime.
The 28 Resistance units George organized were tasked with slowing the flow of German reinforcements from the South of France to Normandy after the D-Day Landings in June 1944. Prior to the invasion his groups conducted successful sabotage missions against military industrial sites. These strikes proved more efficient than bombing missions against the factories as they avoided the risk of collateral damage to French civilians in the area. The greatest challenge was slowing the movement of the German Das Reich armored division to Normandy. That division was noted for its cruelty to civilians who were or who supported Resistance. By sabotaging rail cars meant to carry the tanks North, the Resistance forced the tanks to travel by road, slowing their arrival at the front. To worsen this situation, George's forces destroyed fuel supplies, blocked roads and attacked German troops on the move. The effect was to slow the arrival of the division in Normandy by two additional weeks beyond the expected several days of rail transport. This allowed the Allies time to secure the beaches and move deeper in the countryside.
John was captured as he moved to organize groups within his area. He was betrayed by a double agent who drove him into a German roadblock. Trying to escape, he was shot and seriously wounded. He was taken to Paris where he was imprisoned, tortured, then transferred to a SS headquarters for further interrogation. He found that the Germans were capturing other incoming SOE teams, using their radios to fool London into sending supplies and more teams all of which then Germans scooped up. John Starr learned that London was telling the bogus German radio operators that they were forgetting to send their secret all-clear signal in their transmissions to London. Thus, London was short-circuiting the safeguards built into the system. Starr planned to make himself useful to the Germans without giving up any information that would harm the British and their agents. Meanwhile he would learn all he could about what the Germans knew about SOE operations, escape, and inform SOE headquarters of the situation. He and two other agents managed to escape from the building where they were held, but were recaptured before leaving the area, with the loss of one of the agents to gunfire.
After the war both brothers would fall under suspicion: George for torture and execution of prisoners, and John for suspected cooperation with the enemy. These charges were partially the result of troublesome colleagues and home front busybodies. Author Charles Glass describes the differing outcomes of the charges against them after the war.
This is a detailed view of the underground war on the battlefield where it was fought. There is an extended identification list of characters, photographs, and index, but no maps. Recommended for those interested in the role of the Resistance in wartime France, espionage, and the hidden weaknesses of organizations in wartime.
April 8, 2021
Britain’s Special Operations Executive was a branch of their military that dropped behind enemy lines and waged a guerrilla war and a war of espionage against the Germans in WWll. It was a very dangerous job and to the rest of the world it didn’t even exist.
While this story had a lot of really good details and information I felt like there were so many places and people that I had a hard time understanding even the basics of what was happening.
I was pleasantly surprised to find an individual whose life seemed very similar to a character from a Kristin Hannah book I read called Nightingale.
These men and woman had some critical jobs to help the invasion into France as well as cause lots of problems for the Germans.
I was very disturbed to hear how of these agents ended up getting prosecuted for war crimes at the end of the war. They were in some very unfortunate circumstances, especially the people who were tortured and forced to give up secrets, they should never have been put on trial.
It was a very fascinating read. I might have found it a bit more easy to follow if it had followed one individuals story instead of two brothers and a ton of other people.
Rating and Triggers
Talk of rape, torture, killing. The descriptions are not graphic but the the basic description is enough to invoke the horror of the torture.
R - Swearing. Killing. Torture. Rape.
While this story had a lot of really good details and information I felt like there were so many places and people that I had a hard time understanding even the basics of what was happening.
I was pleasantly surprised to find an individual whose life seemed very similar to a character from a Kristin Hannah book I read called Nightingale.
These men and woman had some critical jobs to help the invasion into France as well as cause lots of problems for the Germans.
I was very disturbed to hear how of these agents ended up getting prosecuted for war crimes at the end of the war. They were in some very unfortunate circumstances, especially the people who were tortured and forced to give up secrets, they should never have been put on trial.
It was a very fascinating read. I might have found it a bit more easy to follow if it had followed one individuals story instead of two brothers and a ton of other people.
Rating and Triggers
Talk of rape, torture, killing. The descriptions are not graphic but the the basic description is enough to invoke the horror of the torture.
R - Swearing. Killing. Torture. Rape.
November 3, 2023
So I went into this book with a base level of knowledge of SOE operations and of the counter operations of the Germans in France, Holland and Belgium (the breadth of this work) between 1940-1944/5.
In the main, the maxim that the victors write the history holds very much true, with the exception of two distinct German works that dont need to be named here
This work, as the title suggests, focuses on the Starr brothers who indeed fought rather different wars in their own rights.
Those experiences the author goes to great lengths to detail, with the exception of those instances where he obviously selects to neglect of withhold detail. It is this neglection, selection and accompanying personal pontification, that for this read distracted and diminished the overall work and brought about the demise of several sections.
Overall it is therefore a tale of two tales, one for each brother, in addition to a partial reflection on the execution of SOE operations in a theatre of Europe that is seen as a mainstream success, yet on a level of deep analysis, is a historical grey area of winner, looser and the made the fewer mistakes, all of which involved the lives of many, many who were involved.
In the main, the maxim that the victors write the history holds very much true, with the exception of two distinct German works that dont need to be named here
This work, as the title suggests, focuses on the Starr brothers who indeed fought rather different wars in their own rights.
Those experiences the author goes to great lengths to detail, with the exception of those instances where he obviously selects to neglect of withhold detail. It is this neglection, selection and accompanying personal pontification, that for this read distracted and diminished the overall work and brought about the demise of several sections.
Overall it is therefore a tale of two tales, one for each brother, in addition to a partial reflection on the execution of SOE operations in a theatre of Europe that is seen as a mainstream success, yet on a level of deep analysis, is a historical grey area of winner, looser and the made the fewer mistakes, all of which involved the lives of many, many who were involved.
October 20, 2018
They Fought Alone follows the Starr brothers as they fight inside Nazi Occupied France in World War 2. The stories could not be more different with one being captured and assisting the Nazi’s in minor tasks while learning as much as he could about the operation while the other was one of the longest running SOE commanders in the war running a large swath of operations in the South of France. Both would be tried at the end of the war and ultimately found innocent on all charges but their experience and Glass’s telling highlights a lot of different parts of the war that don’t often get written about. It does assume you have some knowledge of world war II as many of the events surrounding the brothers are not explained but if you are a seasoned world war II reader you will find a book that gives you new insight into an area that is not written about often. The exploits of SOE are detailed here and although there are a lot of code names and operational codes it is still not too bad to keep track of and the book does flow.
March 31, 2019
"They Fought Alone" was good. I liked how the book incorporated the tale of the Starr brothers journey into occupied France using espionage to help the resistors, while still having the overall picture of the Germans taking over France. The book itself was a little overwhelming. There was a lot going on at once and a lot of people you need to remember in order to make sense out of what's happening. However one part of the book I liked was the pictures. They really speak to events and people that were present at the time. It gives a better picture in the reader's mind of what the people looked like and what the scene looked like. It helps make the book more real in my mind. Although this is a true story, I was surprised of how much of the book felt like an old fashion "spy thriller". There were definitely moments to a certain extent felt like it's not possible. Overall this book is really good.
November 25, 2018
Summary:
I love the opening line of the prologue: “The German occupation of France, as Dickens wrote of the French Revolution, was the best and the worst of times.”
In mid 1940, Nazi Germany invaded France, and the French people lived under Germany’s heavy rule until late summer of 1944.
During the occupation, the French Resistance worked to collect information and sabotage German efforts.
The Starr brothers were George Reginald Starr and John Ashford Renshaw Starr. Their father was born in America, but the brothers were born in England. These brothers joined the new organization of SOE or Special Operations Executive. The brothers worked in different areas of France. One of them was arrested, tortured, and spent time in a prison. Later, one of the brothers was accused of war crimes. An investigation proceeded.
They Fought Alone is the story of the Starr brothers, but shares the stories of many of the SOE and Resistance workers during the occupation of France.
My Thoughts:
The previous book I reviewed on the same kind of topic was Long Live Freedom, about resistance efforts in Germany. Their group was named the White Rose. Both Long Live Freedom and They Fought Alone are nonfiction, neither are narrative nonfiction. They are journalistic or academic. They Fought Alone is chronological in time and this is helpful to the reader.
What I loved about the book:
•For the most part it is chronological in sequence of dates and events.
•The historical characters are shown with their positive and negative traits. They are described with a transparent and unbiased view.
•The agents had code names, and at times I had to remember who was who. However, I did not become lost as the list of characters in the front of the book helped.
•The Resistance and SOE work is shown in the book. Operations and how they were carried out as well as the results.
•A strong aspect of the book is the history surrounding one of the brothers who was accused of war crimes. After all he’d endured, he was accused and investigated.
Source: I received a complimentary copy, but was not required to leave a positive review.
I love the opening line of the prologue: “The German occupation of France, as Dickens wrote of the French Revolution, was the best and the worst of times.”
In mid 1940, Nazi Germany invaded France, and the French people lived under Germany’s heavy rule until late summer of 1944.
During the occupation, the French Resistance worked to collect information and sabotage German efforts.
The Starr brothers were George Reginald Starr and John Ashford Renshaw Starr. Their father was born in America, but the brothers were born in England. These brothers joined the new organization of SOE or Special Operations Executive. The brothers worked in different areas of France. One of them was arrested, tortured, and spent time in a prison. Later, one of the brothers was accused of war crimes. An investigation proceeded.
They Fought Alone is the story of the Starr brothers, but shares the stories of many of the SOE and Resistance workers during the occupation of France.
My Thoughts:
The previous book I reviewed on the same kind of topic was Long Live Freedom, about resistance efforts in Germany. Their group was named the White Rose. Both Long Live Freedom and They Fought Alone are nonfiction, neither are narrative nonfiction. They are journalistic or academic. They Fought Alone is chronological in time and this is helpful to the reader.
What I loved about the book:
•For the most part it is chronological in sequence of dates and events.
•The historical characters are shown with their positive and negative traits. They are described with a transparent and unbiased view.
•The agents had code names, and at times I had to remember who was who. However, I did not become lost as the list of characters in the front of the book helped.
•The Resistance and SOE work is shown in the book. Operations and how they were carried out as well as the results.
•A strong aspect of the book is the history surrounding one of the brothers who was accused of war crimes. After all he’d endured, he was accused and investigated.
Source: I received a complimentary copy, but was not required to leave a positive review.
November 25, 2018
This was a great story excerpt from the resistance battles of WWII. It was hard for me to follow at first with all the different names popping up and dissappearing. As the events began to unfold though, I found myself being captivated with the works of these two brothers, their associates and their sacrifice to help undermind the Nazi regime. The major "players" are outlined at the beginning of the book which helps in following along the events that unfold over these important years. It's amazing the things we can do as "commoners" to assist in the "big picture" in historic events such as this. It's a lesson we can still use today.
January 20, 2019
War is messy, and the aftermath of war can be messier still. This is an account of two British brothers who, under the auspices of Churchill’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), organized and armed French resistance in WWII. Both were later accused of misdeeds in the aftermath.
The book starts slowly, involving many names and aliases, which can be confusing, but once the fighting starts at D Day, things move rapidly. This book provides good insight into the value of Resistance’s role in the success of the Allied invasion and eventual liberation of France, as well as the pain endured by many who had to make difficult decisions in wartime and explain them in peacetime.
The book starts slowly, involving many names and aliases, which can be confusing, but once the fighting starts at D Day, things move rapidly. This book provides good insight into the value of Resistance’s role in the success of the Allied invasion and eventual liberation of France, as well as the pain endured by many who had to make difficult decisions in wartime and explain them in peacetime.
March 15, 2019
Interesting history of the complications of the French resistance and the aide provided from their British allies. To trust no one and to live and work in constant fear, difficult communications, lack of crucial support, including personal vendettas from former colleagues and superiors. And a reminder of why DeGaulle was so detested by many in this period. The bottom line is that simply existing in Nazi occupied France during the 40's was a challenge that's hard to imagine, let alone being a "resistant". These exceptional men and women who risked everything to help bring and end to the German occupation of France.
August 26, 2024
Sort of "unbalanced" between a first part that is at times, no more than a list of facts and names and a second more narrative part. Impressive notes and references apparatus. Difficult to evaluate avoiding to express personal opinions on some of these events (if you have a good knowledge of what "resistance" meant for many under all aspects) and the historical background. All in all, the largely "amateurish" standing in many situation of SOE and the British intelligence during WWII is somehow appalling - Max Hastings put this in light in his (much much more compelling) "The Secret War: Spies, Codes and Guerrillas 1939–1945".
December 18, 2019
Detailed, well-written and bracing account of the French Resistance in WWII, particularly with the Starr brothers as British SOE the central characters. The early part of the book tended, perhaps unavoidably, to get bogged down in identifying the names, places and vying sub-organizations, but by D-Day, the pace noticeably picked up, such that the book was hard to put down up to the end. As the cliche goes, they oughta make a movie about this.
July 13, 2019
A very interesting story about hidden battles of World War 2 and the unique experiences of the two brothers battling the same fight in completely different circumstances. I got lost some times in the translations I hat distracted from the story and code names of so many different characters, but overall I enjoyed the tale.
September 2, 2020
This book was very detailed and laid out the intricacies of some of Britain's secret operators in WWII. While the stories were compelling and some of them were intriguing, I found it difficult to really latch on and find immersion in the story. As an avid fan of WWII history, I found it difficult to dive into the events laid out in the book, and often felt like I was reading a textbook.
July 12, 2021
A incredibly interesting story. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and as so many other books do about WWII instilled in me even greater admiration for the English during this war; and the French who continued to resist occupation when obedience would have been far safer for their existence.
January 28, 2023
The premise is more than adequately written on the dust cover - so no extra words needed here. I found it a real page turner - surprisingly - as I expected a more historical or methodical narrative. Lots of names and details but that’s WW2. Exciting, fascinating and heart rending at the same time. Highly recommend.
PS not to be confused with the book of the same title by Maurice Buckmaster.
PS not to be confused with the book of the same title by Maurice Buckmaster.
July 30, 2024
I found this book frustratingly detailed with too many names to follow. It felt like a laundry list of tasks done without weaving any narrative. This feels also like a rewriting of history to redeem two unpleasant people - one a distrusting autocratic hater of women (and anyone who doesn’t obey him), and the other sounds more like a self-serving collaborator with the Germans.
June 22, 2019
I learned a lot about the French Resistance. The beginning read more like a textbook, but about half way through, it started to read more like a story and became easier to read. I felt it gave insight into the thought process of the English during this time as well as the French mindset.
July 6, 2019
I always forget I can't read these kinds of books when I'm super busy. It's too difficult to keep track of all the names, dates, and events when I pop in and out of a book in brief, quick stints. It was a chore to finish this but I don't think it was the author's fault.
December 20, 2019
Often I really enjoy these books about people in wars despite not really liking books about war. This one was pretty good. It was an interesting tale. I got lost or bored a few times, but it always came back to some juicy stuff eventually.
October 9, 2018
Excellent picture of the French resistance.
October 15, 2018
Great great book! So much detail about resistance work in WW2.
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