Comet Journey: A Record of Allied Pilots Escaping Nazi Prisons During World War II: (A Record of Allied Pilots Escaping Nazi Prisons)

Author: Peter Esner
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: During World War II, Europe was occupied. Allied forces, including the British and American air forces, continuously bombed the occupied regions of Europe. Some Allied pilots were forced to abandon their aircraft and parachute into occupied France and Belgium. Local residents, despite the risk of being killed by the Gestapo, provided as much help as possible to these stranded pilots in the occupied areas. However, how to allow Allied personnel to sneak into neutral Spain under Hitler's watchful eyes, thereby saving their lives and gaining freedom, became a major challenge. The Pyrenees Mountains, which stand between Spain and the borders of France and Belgium, became the only path to freedom. Allied diplomatic forces, the secret forces of the "Free French Movement," the resistance forces of Belgium, the Nazis, merchants, patriots, and defectors all vied for control over this road to freedom. A group of young Basques, Belgians, and Frenchmen, with their courage, enthusiasm, and even their lives, stubbornly resisted Hitler's oppressive policies and forged a "Comet Journey," carrying a path from the occupied regions to the neutral countries. The author of this book, Peter Esner, is an experienced investigative journalist who received the "Pan American Press Award" in 1991 and currently serves as the deputy foreign editor of The Washington Post.