throughout the 5 years from may well 1940 to might 1945 numerous thousand Allied airmen, compelled to desert their airplane at the back of enemy traces, avoided seize and reached freedom, by way of land, sea and air.

The territory held by way of the Germans used to be substantial – from Norway and Denmark within the north, via Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg to the south of France – and at first there has been no association to aid the boys at the run. the 1st one to help the evaders and escapers (“E & E” because the american citizens referred to as them) used to be the PAT line, alongside the Mediterranean coast to Perpignan and down the Spanish border; named after a naval officer Pat O’ Leary, from 1942 it grew to become the PAO line.

Next was once the Comet line, from Brussels to the Pyrenees. hundreds of thousands of courageous humans have been to be concerned for whom, if stuck, the penalty was once demise. Theirs is a stirring and awe-inspiring tale. revered historian Oliver Clutton-Brock has researched extensive this mystery international of evasion, uncovering a few treachery and plenty of hitherto unpublished info, operations and images.

It is an immense reference paintings, written in his personal colourful variety with quite a few anecdotes, which fills a niche of data previously unavailable to historians, expert or novice. choked with details, key determine biographies and listings – 2,094 evaders pointed out – this can be a useful testimony to the braveness of all these involved.