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So Close to Freedom: A World War II Story of Peril and Betrayal in the Pyrenees
Written by Jean-Luc E. Cartron
Narrated by Robertson Dean
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
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About this audiobook
During World War II many escape-line organizations contributed to the Allied cause by funneling hundreds of servicemen trapped behind enemy lines out of occupied Europe. As the Germans tightened their noose around the escape lines and infiltrated them, the risk of discovery only grew for the servicemen who, in ever-increasing numbers, needed safe passage across the Pyrenees. In early 1944 two important escape-line organizations operated in Toulouse in southwestern France, handing over many fugitives to French passeur Jean-Louis Bazerque ("Charbonnier"). Along with several of his successful missions, Charbonnier's only failure as a passeur is recounted in gripping detail in So Close to Freedom.
This riveting story recounts how Charbonnier tried to guide a large group of fugitives-most of them downed Allied airmen, along with a French priest, two doctors, a Belgian Olympic skater, and others-to freedom across the Pyrenees. Tragically, they were discovered by German mountain troopers just shy of the Spanish border. Jean-Luc E. Cartron offers the first detailed account of what happened, showing how Charbonnier operated, his ties with "the Françoise" (previously "Pat O'Leary") escape-line organization, and how the group was betrayed and by whom.
This riveting story recounts how Charbonnier tried to guide a large group of fugitives-most of them downed Allied airmen, along with a French priest, two doctors, a Belgian Olympic skater, and others-to freedom across the Pyrenees. Tragically, they were discovered by German mountain troopers just shy of the Spanish border. Jean-Luc E. Cartron offers the first detailed account of what happened, showing how Charbonnier operated, his ties with "the Françoise" (previously "Pat O'Leary") escape-line organization, and how the group was betrayed and by whom.
Author
Jean-Luc E. Cartron
Jean-Luc E. Cartron is a research professor of biology at the University of New Mexico. He is the author of Raptors of New Mexico as well as a coauthor of A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (both from UNM Press).
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