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And the Walls Came Tumbling Down
Seven women are drawn together and pushed apart as the skeleton of a baby is found in the walls of their old sorority house.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 30, 2014
RAF Squadron Leaders Basil Embry, Peter Townshend, Douglas Bader, Percy Pickard, and Guy Gibson, shared a common trait : charisma. And when any of these airmen entered their Officers’ Mess their legendary reputations preceded them, and everyone present felt a sudden frisson of excitement electrify the room. There was a buzz of excited recognition, followed a breathless hush of anticipation. And these guys never disappointed. Seeing was believing. And as the room settled, and the molecules rearranged themselves to make room for their sheer force of personality, fellow airmen knew, major Operations were imminent and great events were in the making. They walked, or rather flew, with the march of history. With countless acts of courage, bravery and heroism behind them, their presence, in itself was an inspiration. It’s hard to define the singular ‘chemistry,’ of leadership but, boy, do we know it when we see it. And author Jack Fishman conveys the dynamism of airmen, notably Air Vice-Marshall Basil Embry and Group Captain Pickard, but other pilots and air crews are also described going about their business with a stoical resignation and boundless courage and bravery.
This book is an exciting account, and a wonderful commemoration, of an audacious precision bombing raid in February 1944 conducted by the RAF- three Squadrons of the high new super high performance Mosquito Mark VIs, 18 planes, plus a Photographic Unit. The raid was planned and carried out in haste, as news reached British Intelligence (MI5) that the secrets of Operation Overlord (the D-Day landings) were in jeopardy, as vital members of the French Resistance had been captured, and were imprisoned amongst the more than 700 inmates currently being held, and tortured, in Amiens Prison, in Normandy.
The raid on Amiens Prison, known as 'Operation Jericho,’ was to free the prisoners from torture and death penalty, but the collateral damage was expected to be very high, and many prisoners would die in the raid in spite of the heroism and expertise of the air crews. But its success, at whatever cost, would preserve the secrets of the Normandy Landings, planned for early June, and would raise the morale of the French, living under Nazi occupation.
British Intelligence had heard from the leaders of the French Resistance that the Germans were already executing their prisoners and that a further execution was imminent, scheduled for 19th February 1944, for a further 100 prisoners. Many would die, by British bombs or German bullets but both were preferable to execution by the Gestapo. And, besides, the lucky few would pick their way out through the rubble and confusion, into the waiting arms of awaiting Resistance with get away vehicles and armed with forged documents and escape plans. Whatever the weather the Operation would go ahead.
The legendary Air Vice-Marshall Basil Embry wanted to lead the raid but there was already a price on his head, (70,000 marks), as the most decorated of the RAFs pilots had inflicted great damage on the Luftwaffe. But as Embry was a vital cog in the machine planning the invasion of Europe his wishes were over ruled by the Head of the RAF Air Chief Marshall Leigh Mallory. So Embry now chose another legendary airman, Wing Commander Percy Charles Pickard, who was an experienced RAF pilot, but lacked practice in low-level attacks. Charles Pickard had starred as the pilot of F for Freddie' in the propaganda documentary, 'Target for Tonight' screened in cinemas and move houses across Britain celebrating the efforts of RAF Bomber Command. The precision attack would be carried out by Mosquito bombers, light fighter-bombers, manned by a two-member crew with limited fire capacity. They would fly over the Channel, at nought feet, wave top height, and beneath the German radar, and lay their bombs, against the prison walls hoping to breach some gaping holes and spring open the cell doors, while briefly immobilising the guards, who would be having their lunch at midday.
The weather conditions were still atrocious, with snow covering the most of Europe, as the three squadrons took off from a snowbound aerodrome in Hertfordshire. The rest of the story is a real page turner. The Luftwaffe at Abbeville were soon alerted to the arrival of the Mosquitoes speeding across Normandy at tree top height at 400mph. Pickard and his hand picked air crews flew on pursued hot foot by Luftwaffe Ace, Adolf Galland, and his German fighters. Their journey was full of incident and the author conveys the urgency of the mission, the fears and camaraderie of the crews, the life of a front line aerodrome in Wold War Two. And he also gets beneath the surface of the French Resistance and describes the mentality of the conquered and oppressed French civilians, many of whim risked their lives to assist in the defeat of the German Occupation.
This book is an exciting account, and a wonderful commemoration, of an audacious precision bombing raid in February 1944 conducted by the RAF- three Squadrons of the high new super high performance Mosquito Mark VIs, 18 planes, plus a Photographic Unit. The raid was planned and carried out in haste, as news reached British Intelligence (MI5) that the secrets of Operation Overlord (the D-Day landings) were in jeopardy, as vital members of the French Resistance had been captured, and were imprisoned amongst the more than 700 inmates currently being held, and tortured, in Amiens Prison, in Normandy.
The raid on Amiens Prison, known as 'Operation Jericho,’ was to free the prisoners from torture and death penalty, but the collateral damage was expected to be very high, and many prisoners would die in the raid in spite of the heroism and expertise of the air crews. But its success, at whatever cost, would preserve the secrets of the Normandy Landings, planned for early June, and would raise the morale of the French, living under Nazi occupation.
British Intelligence had heard from the leaders of the French Resistance that the Germans were already executing their prisoners and that a further execution was imminent, scheduled for 19th February 1944, for a further 100 prisoners. Many would die, by British bombs or German bullets but both were preferable to execution by the Gestapo. And, besides, the lucky few would pick their way out through the rubble and confusion, into the waiting arms of awaiting Resistance with get away vehicles and armed with forged documents and escape plans. Whatever the weather the Operation would go ahead.
The legendary Air Vice-Marshall Basil Embry wanted to lead the raid but there was already a price on his head, (70,000 marks), as the most decorated of the RAFs pilots had inflicted great damage on the Luftwaffe. But as Embry was a vital cog in the machine planning the invasion of Europe his wishes were over ruled by the Head of the RAF Air Chief Marshall Leigh Mallory. So Embry now chose another legendary airman, Wing Commander Percy Charles Pickard, who was an experienced RAF pilot, but lacked practice in low-level attacks. Charles Pickard had starred as the pilot of F for Freddie' in the propaganda documentary, 'Target for Tonight' screened in cinemas and move houses across Britain celebrating the efforts of RAF Bomber Command. The precision attack would be carried out by Mosquito bombers, light fighter-bombers, manned by a two-member crew with limited fire capacity. They would fly over the Channel, at nought feet, wave top height, and beneath the German radar, and lay their bombs, against the prison walls hoping to breach some gaping holes and spring open the cell doors, while briefly immobilising the guards, who would be having their lunch at midday.
The weather conditions were still atrocious, with snow covering the most of Europe, as the three squadrons took off from a snowbound aerodrome in Hertfordshire. The rest of the story is a real page turner. The Luftwaffe at Abbeville were soon alerted to the arrival of the Mosquitoes speeding across Normandy at tree top height at 400mph. Pickard and his hand picked air crews flew on pursued hot foot by Luftwaffe Ace, Adolf Galland, and his German fighters. Their journey was full of incident and the author conveys the urgency of the mission, the fears and camaraderie of the crews, the life of a front line aerodrome in Wold War Two. And he also gets beneath the surface of the French Resistance and describes the mentality of the conquered and oppressed French civilians, many of whim risked their lives to assist in the defeat of the German Occupation.
September 29, 2019
This book is out-of-print and I used an inter-library loan to obtain it
The book cover is lurid - my edition (the hardback) described it as a daring raid that saved D-Day. What could be more enticing to a WW II history buff?
In short, this is the true story of a raid in February 1944 by RAF Mosquitos to blow holes in the wall of a prison in Amiens France so as to provide an escape path for members of the French Resistance to get out before they were tortured to give up what was left of the opposition to the German occupation. And, if they couldn't escape, to be buried by the bombs and take their secrets to the grave. Amiens, for those not familiar with French geography is in the Somme region and hence immediately behind the German's expectation of an Allied landing at Pas de Calais.
On the plus side, this was a story I was not at all familiar with. There are echoes of the Dambusters raid as the raiders required special training and a high degree of skill. As the raid took place before the Allies had completely wiped the Luftwaffe out of France, there are German fighter and flak defenses.
But the story is at best 1/4 about the Mosquito raid and 3/4 about the prisoners, their escape, and the brave French civilians who helped them evade the massive manhunts. Not all the prisoners were Resistance, many were common criminals but who had useful skills during the escape. Both brothels and churches play a prominent role.
Now, I had one big problem with this book. The author does not attribute the dialog (and there is plenty of dialog) with any notes. In the afterword, he admits this was deliberate but claims the dialog is what was said based on all of his sources and interviews. Unfortunately, the dialog doesn't read like what real people would say in the circumstances where they are speaking. The British officers speak as if they are in an Evelyn Waugh novel and the French civilians don't speak in everyday vernacular. It would have been much better had real recollections of the events been quoted/sourced and the author sticking to third person narrative to drive the story along chronologically. Put another way, the absence of sourcing meant the reader had a nagging sense in the back of one's mind that the detailed events described weren't accurate.
Finally, did the raid "save D-Day"? The author makes absolutely no case for this. There is some florid reasoning at the beginning of the book that motivates the raid but no wrap up after the raid/escape is over to tie back to this premise. I think the publisher added that "teaser" to the book jacket to drive sales.
Perhaps I'll read the other works on this subject to see if they can tell the story any better - e.g. The Jail Busters: The Secret Story of MI6, the French Resistance and Operation Jericho
The book cover is lurid - my edition (the hardback) described it as a daring raid that saved D-Day. What could be more enticing to a WW II history buff?
In short, this is the true story of a raid in February 1944 by RAF Mosquitos to blow holes in the wall of a prison in Amiens France so as to provide an escape path for members of the French Resistance to get out before they were tortured to give up what was left of the opposition to the German occupation. And, if they couldn't escape, to be buried by the bombs and take their secrets to the grave. Amiens, for those not familiar with French geography is in the Somme region and hence immediately behind the German's expectation of an Allied landing at Pas de Calais.
On the plus side, this was a story I was not at all familiar with. There are echoes of the Dambusters raid as the raiders required special training and a high degree of skill. As the raid took place before the Allies had completely wiped the Luftwaffe out of France, there are German fighter and flak defenses.
But the story is at best 1/4 about the Mosquito raid and 3/4 about the prisoners, their escape, and the brave French civilians who helped them evade the massive manhunts. Not all the prisoners were Resistance, many were common criminals but who had useful skills during the escape. Both brothels and churches play a prominent role.
Now, I had one big problem with this book. The author does not attribute the dialog (and there is plenty of dialog) with any notes. In the afterword, he admits this was deliberate but claims the dialog is what was said based on all of his sources and interviews. Unfortunately, the dialog doesn't read like what real people would say in the circumstances where they are speaking. The British officers speak as if they are in an Evelyn Waugh novel and the French civilians don't speak in everyday vernacular. It would have been much better had real recollections of the events been quoted/sourced and the author sticking to third person narrative to drive the story along chronologically. Put another way, the absence of sourcing meant the reader had a nagging sense in the back of one's mind that the detailed events described weren't accurate.
Finally, did the raid "save D-Day"? The author makes absolutely no case for this. There is some florid reasoning at the beginning of the book that motivates the raid but no wrap up after the raid/escape is over to tie back to this premise. I think the publisher added that "teaser" to the book jacket to drive sales.
Perhaps I'll read the other works on this subject to see if they can tell the story any better - e.g. The Jail Busters: The Secret Story of MI6, the French Resistance and Operation Jericho
April 4, 2009
The story about the deliberate bombing of a French prison in WWII is amazing, although you have to work hard in some parts to keep everyone straight. There are lots of horror stories in war, about the idiots often in charge of the whole mess. WWII has some pretty sad stories of losses brought on by nothing more than pure stubborn stupidity but in the face of huge obstacles in preparation for the invasion of Normandy there were those with an incredible capacity to do some pretty wild and risky things in order to pave the way for that invasion. This is like reading a screenplay for one of those old WWII movies only its all true and based on actually documents and eyewitness accounts taken from previously classified files. Good read!!
March 16, 2016
I really liked that book; it gave me a perspective of the lives of many people who were prisoners in Amiens and the strategies that the higher ups had to make to free them. It provoked a lot of my thoughts and I even grew to like one person because of his amazing dog named Ming . It opened my eyes to the things that happen in prison and during the World War. Many of the things that happened were life changing for the people in the story and it was a chance to defeat the enemy. Criminals were the ones who could do the most damage to the enemy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews