In the Shadows of War: An American Pilot's Odyssey Through Occupied France and the Camps of Nazi Germany

When I was growing up as a young child, Roy Allen and his wife May were very dear friends of my parents. I remember he and May would spend time with us on my parents boat. Roy was always a jokester and made everyone laugh. Now that I am grown, I was extremely excited to find out that there was a book writen about his story. I had no idea of the difficult experiences that he had. Knowing him with his great humor, who would have thought! I can't put this book down, reading each page makes me want to turn to the next so that I can learn to know Roy. I can't wait to see the movie on T.V. - Marie Hazzard Smith

"In The Shadows Of War" by Thomas Childers. Sub-titled: "An American Pilot's Odyssey Through Occupied France And The Camps Of Nazi Germany". Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2002.This book is so well written that it reads like a novel, with suspense building up as you turn each page.Will the B-17 pilot, Roy Allen, escape from his badly damaged aircraft? Will he be captured by the Germans? Or be rescued by the French Resistance? The French get to him first and he is assigned to a hiding place in a small village. The young teacher, Colette Florin, hides him as they all await liberation by the Allied Armies coming from the Normandy Beaches. But the Allies are delayed by fierce fighting that Summer of 1944, and Roy Allen decides to leave the relative safety of Colette Florin's rooms above the girls' school. He wants to travel to occupied Paris to reach the Resistance pipeline to get him out of France. It was here that the "novel" aspects began to overwhelm me. I said to myself that I would not write it that way; it would be more realistic if the American flyer stayed with the French teacher in the so-called "Golden Cage" and wait for the Allied Armies. Then I saw the photo section (between pages 240 & 241), and I was reminded that Roy Allen actually existed! He was NOT a fictional character. Nor was Colette. They, along with Pierre Muslant, lived and struggled in wartime France. Pierre Muslant was a member of the French Resistance who was to help Roy escape via Paris. Along with Roy, Muslant was captured and died in Buchenwald, so there is only a sketch of him, not a photograph. The excellent writing along with the actual story of this adventure made it almost impossible to put this book down. Just remember, as you read the book, it is fact, not fiction.

"In the Shadows of War" is a triumph on numerous levels. First it's one helluva story. The true adventures of Roy Allen, the US pilot shot down over France in June 1944, are remarkable. Moreover, Childers is a skilled writer. The reader will feel transported to France and Germany in 1944-45. The experience of being an Allied pilot, of hiding from the enemy, fearing for one's life, suffering horrible depravations and barbarity are vividly presented. The bravery of the French resistantce fighters is inspiring as the cruelty of the SS and Gestapo is frightening. Concentration camps are not so much described as guided through. The forced march during a snowstorm from one POW camp to the next is similarly endured.The central character, Roy Allen, is cast as a heroic figure, with an indominable will to survive, all the while doing the right thing. (How Childers tells Allen's story apparently without ever having met him is also a noteworthy acheivement). But it is also evident that there were many Roy Allens who served the Allies in WWII."In the Shadows of War " also has a strong supporting cast. Most especially, Colette Florin the school teacher who risked her life to hide Allen in her apartment. Childers wisely takes the time to fully introduces and present Florin and the rest of the "cast."This book will not just have appeal to World War II buffs. Anyone who likes a cracking good story and appreciates good writing will be drawn into the "Shadows of War."

Thomas Childers, a most distinguished professor of history and scholar, has written a gripping true account of an American aviator whose B17 was shot down over occupied France shortly after D-day in 1944. No work of fiction could approach the compelling story of Lt. Roy Allen who was rescued by members of the French resistance and was ultimately the victim of Nazi orchestrated treachery. Protected by a French schoolteacher, her family and friends, in a rural and forest region populated by patriots, his need to return to combat led to months of a hellish existence in the prisons and camps of France and Germany. Professor Childers writes in a style that is very readable as was his earlier book "The Wings of Morning" and I found it very difficult to put "In The Shadows of War" down. It is definitely an outstanding read!