Wingless Victory : The Story of Sir Basil Embry's Escape From Occupied France

by Anthony Richardson

Wingless Victory is the story of an audacious and desperate man on the run, the record of one of the first wartime escapes through Occupied France. It reads like a first class thriller and as one critic put it, " leaves fiction gasping far behind." On May 27, 1940, Wing-Commander Basil Embry (later Air Chief Marshal Sir Basil Embry, and Commander, Allied Air Forces in Central Europe 1953-56), although appointed to a higher command, decided to lead his old squadron into battle for the last time. Within the hour he was shot down in France and found himself alone, unarmed and in uniform. Capture was inevitable. He was, in fact, captured three times, but refused to submit. Once he broke from a column of prisoners under the muzzle of a German machine-gun. Another time he fought his way out, killing three Germans with a stolen rifle and then hiding in a manure heap for nearly six hours. But perhaps the most amazing of all his exploits was the occasion on which, in the role of a fanatical member of the Irish Republican Army, he shook his fist under the nose of a German inquisitor, yelling hatred and abuse of Britain until his captors finally turned him loose to find his own way home. At this period there was little of escape technique to guide him and he had no opportunity to lay plans or prepare equipment. Yet, by sheer courage and wit, he found his way abck to Britain to fight and fly again. He won the D.S.O. and three bars, and the D.F.C.

Anthony Richardson, who relates Sir Basil's story as it was told to him first-hand, served in the same squadron and later became its Adjutant. Established as a writer for over twenty-five years, he is known as a novelist and for his volumes of war poems, many of which dealt with Sir Basil Embry's squadron.

Genres: Nonfiction, War, World War II, History

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Anthony Thomas Stewart Currie Richardson (1899 – 4 February 1964) was an English writer of adventure fiction and non-fiction books.

He also published under the pseudonym Patrick Wynnton

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an action packed WWII "escape" memoir - though not written by the "escapee". It describes an almost daily stream of amazing wartime hardships, adventures and close calls that Sir Basil Embry experienced over a period of 9 weeks in the Spring and Summer of 1940. The story begins when Embry's bomber is shot down over north eastern France. His escape begins soon after and continues all the way to the border of Spain. Every day brings something new and unexpected. This book held my attention cover to cover and was pretty much what I'd call a page turner. I was dialed in from the start, couldn't put it down and wound up reading it all in one day. Time well spent.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir of a Colonel in the RAF who was shot down over occupied France in 1940. He is almost immediately captured but escapes and hides in fields and thickets. Some French farmers help him, but eventually he is recaptured by Germans. Here he pretends to be Irish, working against the British. Later, he is alone again and manages to get to a city in France, where he sensibly goes to a Salvation Army hostel, and pretends he is American.
Life is hard for everyone, not as hard as it would get later in the war obviously. The French old soldier Paul and his wife who first shelter the airman are shown in a photo, when he returned to thank them. We also see that some of the Germans speak excellent English and some have lived in America. Others had no language but their own, or some French.
There are a couple of pages of photos and a line drawing.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a British airman's ordeal trying to get back to England after being shot down over France at the beginning of WWII before the British Expeditionary Force escaped from Dunkirk. He was taken prisoner by the Germans but managed to escape. He was aided by a number of people as he tried many avenues of escape. It was inspiring for two reasons: Sir Basil's will to not give up and to think of creative ways to travel and hide in plain sight and for the willingness of people to help.

[Kathy Fritschi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unintended vacation in occupied France

The adventuresome spirit displayed by Sir Basil was one of the most improbable and impressive aspects of this story. Perseverance despite setbacks shows courage and puck, as Sir Basil creates his own opportunities and is not dissuaded in an environment rife with barriers

[rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

review of Wingless Victory

A great story and even better to know it really happened. The war was hard fought by men such as Basil Embry and to their credit the demise of Hitler and his dream of conquering the world!

[James Cramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lesson in courage

Sir basil embry's story is the definition of duty,honor, country. He set himself to the improbable task of escape from the German s and returning to England to fight for the freedom of those Germany sought to enslave.

[Wayne P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Read

Didn’t think I was going to like it at first. Not much action at first, kind of slow, but the more I read I was there with Embry waiting for the next…. And then things started moving fast! Hard to put it down.

[WF Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting true story account

I found this book very interesting. The fact that it’s a true story makes it more interesting. I was able to get a real sense of the pilot’s experiences

[mike conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read

What a story. A well written tale told with entertaining detail.
The courage and intellect of all involved in this escape plan are beyond belief but oh so true.

[D.M. Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great escape

Pilot gets shot down and by guts, good luck and help escapes from occupied France in WW2.
Exciting but true yarn.

[truenorth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courage is all I can say.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1950, Wingless Victory is an account of the escape of Wing Commander Basil Embry from occupied France in May-June 1940 following his being shot down whilst flying a tactical bombing mission in a Blenheim IV of 107 Squadron, RAF against the Maastricht bridges. The writer Anthony Richardson does use a little artistic licence at times, but this does overall amount to a very enjoyable read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of an English lady vacationing in Breton France when the Nazis invade France. Unable to escape she steps up a cell of resistance fighters who rescue and liberate downed fliers. The also carry out espionage and sabotage. An interesting story.

[Wayne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wingless Victory recounts the audacious and true story of Wing Commander Basil Embry's escape from occupied France in 1940 after being shot down.

Embry is captured three times by the Germans and manages to escape each time.

Highly recommended.