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Cruel Crossing: Escaping Hitler Across the Pyrenees Kindle Edition
After the Nazi invasion of Belgium in 1940, an underground network was established to help British servicemen escape German-occupied Europe. As the war progressed, others began using the secret route as well, traveling to the south of France, over the Pyrenees mountains, and into neutral Spain.
The Chemin de la Liberté runs forty miles across the central Pyrenees. Since 1994, it has been hiked each July to commemorate those who made the courageous journey during the Nazi occupation of France. BBC Radio presenter Edward Stourton made the trek in 2011, and from his fellow hikers, he uncovered amazing stories of wartime bravery and perseverance.
In Cruel Crossing, Stourton draws on interviews with survivors, as well as family members of those who were there, to paint a history of this little-known aspect of World War II. It is colored by tales of hardship from soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, persecuted Jews fleeing Hitler and Vichy France, and bold resistance fighters aiding their escape. There are scrambles across rooftops in the dead of night, drops from speeding trains, treachery, murder, romance, and of course, heroism.
These personal stories offer a dramatic and moving trip through the past, preserving the memories of those who endured so much to gain back their freedom.
Praise for Cruel Crossing
“Stourton writes evocatively and with sensitivity of the people who made the arduous trek. . . . An engaging collection of tales.” —Daily Express
“In Mr. Stourton’s hands, the Pyrenees become a grim amphitheatre for heroism and betrayal, collusion and rebellion. . . . Cruel Crossing recaptures much of the adventure and the fun, as well as the horror and the bitterness, as it brilliantly conjures up the voices of the past.” —Country Life
“Heart-breaking and breath-taking . . . thoroughly moving and very readable.” —Simon Mawer, author of The Glass Room
“An important book packed with poignant stories, remarkable characters and uncomfortable truths.” —Clare Mulley, author of The Spy Who Loved
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherOpen Road Media
- Publication dateNovember 7, 2023
- File size30850 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
• "Edward Stourton'’s portrayal of the escape lines across the Pyrenees -- the courage and endurance of those involved and above all, the heroism in one man (or woman) risking their life for another -- is rich in detail and a remarkable testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. A compelling read." --James Holland
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B0CKXF1XRQ
- Publisher : Open Road Media (November 7, 2023)
- Publication date : November 7, 2023
- Language : English
- File size : 30850 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 473 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #26,140 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #10 in Historical France Biographies
- #12 in Survival Biographies & Memoirs
- #16 in Jewish History (Kindle Store)
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This book is well worth reading.
The back ground stories were a marvellous way to learn about the use of the paths up over the Pyrenees and also the sheer bravery of the Passeurs who risked their lives each time and sometimes lost them..
It also brought out that the enemy was not just the Nazi occupation but some of the French themselves.
This was a marvellous read and it is one story that I will not forget in a hurry.