Heldin achter de frontlijn

by Airey Neave

De ontsnappingsroute stond bekend onder vele namen – Comet Line, Komeetlijn, -Réseau Comète – en was de belangrijkste vluchtroute van het Belgische verzet. In de drie jaren van haar bestaan, werden meer dan 800 geallieerde soldaten gered van een bijna zekere dood.

Andrée De Jongh (Dédée) zette de lijn in 1941 op toen ze een gewonde soldaat vond die was gestrand achter de frontlijn. België en Nederland waren al maanden bezet, dus smokkelde ze hem te voet en per trein over de Pyreneeën naar het Britse consulaat in het vrije Spanje. Met een onverzettelijkheid en doorzettingsvermogen die haar de bijnaam Kleine Wervelwind opleverden, streed Dédée onvermoeibaar door, tot ze in januari 1943 werd opgepakt en gemarteld door de Gestapo. Zeven maanden later werd ze naar Ravensbrück gedeporteerd, en later naar Mauthausen.

Als door een wonder overleefde Dédée de oorlog, en ze werd door zowel België als Engeland overladen met eerbewijzen en in de adelstand verheven. Bij die gelegenheid koos ze een wapenspreuk die exemplarisch was voor haar levenswijze: Servitio libertatis (Ik dien de vrijheid). Dit boek is een -eerbetoon aan haar moed en heldendaden.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War II, Espionage, Thriller, War, Historical

237 pages, Paperback

About the author

Lt. Colonel Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, OBE, DSO, MC, TD (23 January 1916 – 30 March 1979) was a British army officer, barrister, politician, and author.

During World War II, Neave was the first British officer to successfully escape from the German prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle. For his wartime service, in 1948 the United States conferred the Bronze Star Medal upon him. He later became Conservative Member of Parliament for Abingdon.

Neave was assassinated in 1979 in a car-bomb attack at the House of Commons. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), a spin-off of the IRA, claimed responsibility.

Reviews

[Natali Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by Airey Neave and man with more than a fair share of mud on his boots. A man least likely to exaggerate a claim.

A remarkable story. A remarkable young woman, and she was but a slip of a thing. The spirit and drive of Andrée de Jongh is remarkable. If any book could be labelled as inspiring this is it.

[Cynthia (Bingeing On Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This girl is my hero. Truly. I first heard about Andree in Kristin Hannah's book, The Nightingale. In her author's note, she stated that the main character was loosely based on Andree de Jongh and I instantly wanted to know more. It was amazing just how many airmen that these people managed to save from the Nazis. It wasn't just Andree, although she was the brains behind the operation (girl power!). There were so many people involved and the author did an incredible job of building suspense. Sometimes nonfiction can be a bit dry and that's why I don't read too much of it. But most of this book actually read like a suspense novel and I loved it. The only thing I didn't like was that the author didn't focus on Andree as much as I would have liked. There were some things about her in the beginning, but then she was arrested and it became about the people continuing her work. I would have liked to know more about accounts from her perspective and about exactly how she started the work. But I was still very invested in all the characters and some of the story was heartbreaking and inspirational at the same time. Great read!

[cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never need “historic fiction” when there are real stories like this around. Anyone interested in the war must must must read this book about the amazing and heroic women and men who formed underground routes to save downed airmen over Europe and lead them through safe houses, mountains, and different countries and brutal terrain and hostile natives and Nazis...to freedom and a return to England where most would sign on again. I read stories like this and am Ashamed of our own whining and complaining generation.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting.

A truly amazing young girl with the heart of a lion. A great read.

[britt_brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrée “Dédée” De Jongh, served as inspiration for the novel The Nightingale. She and her father stealthily created the Comet Line, an escape route to help allied soldiers/airmen get out of Belgium, through occupied France, into Spain, and back home. She and her numerous helpers eventually worked with British intelligence, including Airey Neave, who penned this book. It’s a bit dry, and there are a ton of people to keep straight, but it’s a fascinating story.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most remarkable girl with the energy of a cyclone.

An incredible read.

[J.S. Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was honoured to meet DeeDee De Jongh in 2007 a few months before she died. Accompanied by two RAF veterans who were shot down in 1941/42 and repatriated back to the UK via the Comet line, we gathered for a ceremony honouring the little cyclone in the school in which her father was headmaster.
The airmen Bob (Frost) and Gordon (Hill?) were in awe of the woman who had led them from Brussels to Spain so many years before.
Bob told me of the Comet line and the sacrifices the helpers made (the day after he left Paris the helpers who had sheltered him were arrested and later killed) and the book is really about the line as a whole, not solely DeeDee.
The book is a fascinating story though could be ten times longer such is the history of the line. The reader will know this by the list of names of Comet members killed at the end of the book who largely aren't mentioned in the text.
The book was written not long after the events which may explain why certain names and events are not mentioned.
The writing is not the best but the story is one that needs to be told and read!
God bless those brave souls.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in awe of Andrée de Jongh (The Little Cyclone) and what she was able to achieve through nothing but her own determination. What further impresses is that the author himself escaped Colditz and mad a successful run back to Britain.

In her early twenties, even British Intelligence found it difficult to believe all that she had achieved and at first believed her story was tosh, suspecting she was working for the Germans.

A real thriller of a read.

[Abbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a girl. What a life. This is an absolutely incredible story of an incredible young lady. She had fire in her belly and would not be stopped.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title suggests that this is a biography of the woman who set up the Comet Line from Belgium to Spain, helping Allied airmen escape Occupied Europe. It isn't. It's more the story of the Line itself. Dedee de Jongh, the Little Cyclone herself, appears in the first part of the book and was obviously a hugely inspirational person to her colleagues. However, the book also talks about her fellow resistance fighters, people who followed in her footsteps, courting danger during the darkest days of the 20th century. One of my favourite was the formidable Tante Go, a woman who let nothing and no-one stop her on her mission to keep the Comet Line running.

Written by Airey Neave, who himself escaped Occupied Europe, the prose jumps around a bit and it isn't always clear when he's stopped talking about one thing and moved on to another. The writing occasionally gets a little misty-eyed too. However, Neave's admiration for the brave men and women of the Comet Line shines through.

Despite suffering betrayal and tragedy, the Comet Line lasted from its inception after the Fall of France and Belgium right through to the invasion of Normandy.

At the end of the book, there's a poignant list of all those Comet Line helpers who gave their lives to help spirit Allied soldiers and airman out of Occupied Europe back to England to once more take up the fight. The list makes sober reading, with many of those arrested being deported to concentration camps throughout the Reich. It highlighted for me the bravery of ordinary men and women - some young and but many of them middle-aged or elderly - who risked everything to defy the brutal German occupiers.

[Sangria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I'm already very proud to be a Basque-American but this book just makes the love stronger. The men & women who saved our American & British downed airman during WW2 & found them safe houses & safety. His them from the Nazis to much peril of their own lives and extended families. If you are a lover of history, this story is a must read and one that IMO doesn't ever get enough notice. I had read Kristin Hannahs Nightingale which was an ode to this true life account story, but actually reading about the real life heroes & heroines was wonderful. Andree de Jongh & all the others truly deserve to have their story told on the big screen. Recommend.

[Joanne Hemming · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story of such bravery of this young woman 'DeeDee' and all her aides who helped DeeDee to set up this safe passage The 'Comet Line' from German controlled Belgium and France all the way down to spain to get British, American and other allies of the second world war to the safety of Britain. It was a marvellous read of such courage, strong will and determination along with such compassion. They encounter so many dangers of capture and betrayal. There was many times I couldn't breathe when they was so close to being captured.
A very inspiring read of True Heroes who sacrificed their lives and put their lives at such a dangerous risk for the lives of the their allies.

[Richard Damsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such incredible bravery and sacrifice. But what a fantastic morale booster when "presumed dead" airmen returned.

[Clive · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story.
An exceptional young lady.
An enjoyable read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, this book was written in 1954 after WWII by Airey Neave who was with the "Little Cyclone" during her time running the Comet Line through Belgium, France, and into Spain. Neave was an intelligence agent during the war and later became a Member of Parliament. He died in 1979 in an IRA a car-bomb attack at the House of Commons.

The book is a quick read and very interesting. I keep finding that there is so much about this war that I do not know about. This story is one example. A young 24-year old Belgian woman begins smuggling British soldiers into Spain, bringing them over the Pyrenees. Her name is Andrée de Jongh, also known as Dedee and the "Little Cyclone." Dedee established the Comet Line, the most famous escape line of the Second World War, one that saved the lives of more than eight hundred airmen and soldiers stranded behind enemy lines. This story is about her, but also about the many others who helped make this cause a possibility. At the end of the book is a list of the many who died while helping these airmen and soldiers get back to England to fight against the Nazi regime. Something we should never forget.

[Amy Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Cyclone by Airey Neave written in 1954, is an account of the truly astounding people that made up the famous Comet Line that managed to smuggle out Allied pilots from Brussels and Occupied France during World War 2.

A sobering read that made me think just what it takes to risk it all for something you truly believe in, a better world. I was moved to read this after reading the fiction novel "The Nightingale" which was inspired by these true events and the remarkable 24 year old Andrèe 'Dedee' de Jongh. This book follows not just her story, but also ensures that all the extraordinarily brave men and women that risked or lost their lives are not forgotten.

I am so glad I read about these courageous people and it reminds me of the good people can do in the most heinous of times. A short but powerful read ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Andrée de Jongh is fascinating and the courage of those who ran the comet line is inspiring. I wish the book was more well-written. I found it difficult to follow at times. I was expecting more of a biography of de Jongh; however this book was more of a story of the comet line itself. The author strives to tell the stories of the most important contributors to the effort. At times, it is difficult to keep track of who’s who. In spite of this, I’m glad I read the book, because it gave me insight into the bravery and sacrifice of so many during the war.

[Sheri S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Andree de Jongh, the real life woman upon whom the main character of the Nightingale is based. Andree de Jongh, known as Dedee, begins the Comet Line to safely pass Allied soldiers from Occupied France to Spain. She is a daring and inspiring individual who continually put herself at risk. Many brave people worked alongside Dedee to save the lives of hundreds of Allied airmen and soldiers. I am glad that the efforts and sacrifices of such courageous people are being recognized in the pages of this book and in books like it.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This account of the WWII Comet Line was just incredible. The stories of such bravery, courage, loyalty, and determination. It was absolutely inspiring. The book was straight to the point and direct to give the facts. There was no fluff. I picked this up after seeing it mentioned in the authors note of The Nightingale. I’m glad I did. I enjoyed learning more about the hundreds of men and women who aided the Allies in rescuing airmen. There is some nonfiction books that make historical fiction seem unnecessary because the true history is so interesting. This is definitely one of those.

[Zara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see in Andrée de Jongh many of the attributes missing from my character. Most definitely the ability to channel your anger. I'm known for venting mine. I would recommend this to all girls on leaving school. It underlines how the human spirit can drive a will to achieve whatever you set your mind to should you be determined enough.

A remarkable young woman and it was a pleasure to read of her exploits.

[Elizabeth R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most organized or perhaps fully accurate account (he was overly adulatory about some of the events, and obviously was making up thoughts and events when he couldn’t possibly have spoken to anyone who was present), but a lovely and loving memorial to the Comet Line, a system of incredible daring and bravery

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd not for a second question the validity of the author's telling, yet it is incredulous for me how one so young can have such a presence, confidence, belief, strength and determination. Andrée de Jongh is an inspiration to all: male or female, young or old.

It was a pure delight to read about this hero.

[Loesje · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non fictional, but well worth.

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Freedom Line better but this was good too.

[PJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courageous men and women who saved many

I typically enjoyed this book. I read every name at the end to keep alive their sacrifice for many men must read

[Steven Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

Amazing writing. I could not put it down. Amazing bravery from beginning to end. A must read!! 5 stars !

[Erin Cloutier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful true stories, just wish the English translation made more sense with the way they structured sentences.

[Michael Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Potentially a very interesting subject but the writing is poor.

[Kami · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wee ball of fire...

Terrible times, but still a wonderful account of a young and most determined lass.

[Febe Allyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prachtige getuigenis, maar slecht vertaald met teveel fouten en de schrijfstijl is vaak te lovend en bewonderend voor de hoofdpersonages. Dit maakt het als boek zelf geen sterk staaltje schrijfkunst. Gelukkig is er nog het verhaal zelf dat boekdelen spreekt.