Escape Into Espionage: The True Story of a French Patriot in World War Two

After the collapse of the French army in 1940, Rieul was transported to Germany as a POW worker. Minor acts of sabotage in his first camp caused him to be sent to another, where the work was brutalizing. He undertook his first escape, which was followed by two others, until he finally made his way to Switzerland. There he joined British intelligence and was assigned to German-occupied Paris. Often by dint of sheer luck he found several good sources of information and, to get his reports to the British, had to cross the Franco-Swiss border, which he did almost 30 times. There is scarcely an unexciting page in this book, which ends with the liberation of Paris. Unfortunately, the uncredited translation, which frequently resorts to British slang and Victorian prudery, diminishes the impact of the story. Photos not seen by PW. (May 13)