Code Name: LISE

Larry Loftis has a new book telling the true story of Odette Sansom, a British Spy who operated in occupied France, and fell in love with her commanding officer.  It is due to be published soon (see Books section) and you can now pre-order it on Amazon.

For more information on this amazing woman, have a look at this YouTube video with some background on her and her days as one of the greatest spies of WWII.

Books

Below are books that have been written by a variety of sources but primarily concentrating on those written by PoWs or their families, detailing life before, during and after captivity.

Click on the link to be taken to the appropriate seller page to purchase a copy.

A deep and detailed description of the horrible events endured by a German machine gunner, Hans Kahr, on the Eastern Front during WW2. One of the last real-life accounts of a dwindling generation.

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Larry Loftis

The year is 1942, and World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father's footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France.  Five failed attempts and one plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission.  It is here that she meets her commanding officer Captain Peter Churchill.

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W. E. (Bill) Goodman

Bill’s life, from joining the RAF in 1941 at the age of 18 to his demob in 1948, was fraught with adventure. He describes his service with 7 Squadron at Oakington; he then highlights the terrifying events of the night their Stirling was shot down over Holland, his subsequent incarceration at Stalag Luft 3, periods in other camps and, finally, the long debilitating march back home.

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Gerhart Friedlander and Keith Turner

A German Jewish SAS Soldiers story. This is a true story, supported by official documents and photographs. Rudi Friedlander's story of bravery (winning the DCM and MID) ends with him being executed by the SS following his capture in 1944.

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Steve Woolcock

This is the true story of my father who enlisted in England and went to war in 1939. He was captured in France, early on and was marched to Poland where he experienced the truth of this clairvoyant’s reading and much more ... This story will make you cry and laugh as my father makes the most of life at Stalag XXA.

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Don Edy

Chronicling the historic WWII experiences of a young RCAF Pilot Officer. Don lived an adventure many young men had hoped for, piloting his beloved Hawker Hurricane with RAF No. 33 Fighter Squadron in the Western Desert. In this book he chronicles not only their missions, including Operation Crusader, but a spirit of life, camaraderie and loss, at North Africa Landing Grounds. When the author himself is shot down and crash lands, he witnesses the starkly brave act of a true friend, L.C. Wade, putting his own life on the line for his. The ensuing years in captivity, coupled with skill and good fortune, provide a unique view of life in the hands of the Axis powers. He shares his good nature and humour, allowing a glimpse into 'what it was' that got these men through it all. His final years as a prisoner of war were spent in the infamous Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany.

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Les Spence

Les Spence risked his life to keep a remarkable daily record of hardship, courage and endurance in prison camps run by the Japanese. For nearly four years he and his fellow prisoners faced starvation, disease and cruelty. They kept up their spirits by playing sport, listening to an illicit radio and by trying to create their own civilised society behind barbed wire. Throughout the suffering in Java, a perilous journey in the hold of an infamous hellship and the horrors of a forced labour camp in Japan, Les Spence kept writing.

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WWII Drawings - a German perspective

With my mother living in Austria during the war, the images shown here are from the German perspective.

It's incredible to think that these drawings were done by a schoolgirl between 1936 and 1943.

The original pictures were donated to the Imperial War Museum in London.