Escape from Hitler's Europe

"An absorbing story about how the Lincoln veteran George Watt managed to escape from Nazi-occupied Belgium."—San Francisco Review of Books

November 1943: American flyer George Watt parachutes out of his burning warplane and lands in rural Nazi-occupied Belgium. Escape from Hitler's Europe is the incredible story of his getaway—how brave villagers spirited him to Brussels to connect with the Comet Line, a rescue arm of the Belgian resistance. This was a gravely dangerous mission, especially for a Jewish soldier who had fought against Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Watt recounts dodging the Gestapo, entering Paris via the underground, and finally, crossing the treacherous Pyrenees into Spain. In 1985, he returned to Belgium and discovered an astonishing postscript to his wartime experiences.

"A story of what is best in human beings triumphing over what is worst."—John Sayles, author of Yellow Earth

"One of those rare little narratives that engage the reader from the first page to the last . . . It is about the human spirit and those willing to risk their lives for a stranger."—Library Journal

"A hell of an adventure story."―Ring Lardner, Jr., author of The Ecstasy of Owen Muir

"This is one of my favorite books about World War II, and the first I have read that is about the Comet Line and the people who helped with running it."—Armchair Interviews

"This is an interesting and exciting account that provides a first-person examination of the plight of an individual airman, and insights into the scope, risks, and techniques of the Belgian and French underground movements."—Col. Stetson M. Siler, USAF (Ret.)