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Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany
“This compelling memoir is testament to how extraordinary circumstances can transform a life—and how an extraordinary person reacts to difficult circumstances. … This is the amazing story of a woman who lived through one of the worst times in human history, losing family members to the Nazis but surviving with her spirit and integrity intact.” —Publishers Weekly
“Born in 1920, Cohn experienced the Holocaust firsthand. Like many others, she and her family found themselves gradually isolated, then singled out for arrest and deportation. (A sister died at Auschwitz; her lover was executed for his resistance activities.) A determined young woman whose features the Nazis did not consider “Jewish,” Cohn was able to acquire some nurse’s training. When Paris was liberated, she joined the French army and by January 1945 was working undercover. … Cohn was a remarkable she chastised Nazis to their faces, intimidated the prisoners she interrogated, learned to drive a stick-shift in one hour, possessed a photographic memory, verbally chastened a would-be rapist so severely that he not only abandoned his assault but offered to marry her, attracted the amorous attentions of most of the men she met, was a crack shot, survived falls through the ice, bullets, tanks, and traitors.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Despite having played a tremendous role in securing vital strategic information crucial to ending World War II, Cohn relays her amazing story of unprecedented bravery with simplicity and modesty.” —Elsa Gaztambide, Booklist
***
Marthe Cohn was a young Jewish woman living just across the German border in France when Hitler rose to power. Her family began sheltering fellow Jews fleeing the Nazis, including Jewish children sent away by their terrified parents. But soon France also fell under Nazi rule. As the French Jews’ basic human rights were stripped away under German occupation, Marthe’s sister Stéphanie was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she was never heard from again. The rest of her family fled safely to the south of France, but Marthe—always a fighter—joined the French Army to help rid her country of the Nazis.
As a member of the intelligence service of the French First Army, Marthe risked her life to retrieve crucial information about Nazi troop movements by slipping behind enemy lines, utilizing her perfect German accent and blond hair to pose as a young German nurse desperately trying to obtain word of a fictional fiancé. By traveling throughout the countryside and approaching troops sympathetic to her plight, chancing exposure every time she did so, she learned where they were going next and alerted Allied commanders.
When, at the age of eighty, Marthe Cohn was awarded the Médaille Militaire, France’s highest military honor, not even her children knew to what extent this modest woman had faced death daily while helping defeat the Nazi empire. At its heart, this remarkable memoir is the tale of an ordinary human being who, under extraordinary circumstances, became the hero her country needed her to be.
This edition contains 32 black-and-white photos, a bibliography, moving acknowledgements by Marthe Cohn, and a comprehensive epilogue.
***
About the Author
Marthe Cohn was a French Jewish spy in Nazi Germany during World War II. In 2005, she was awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur, contributing to her many military accolades. She lives in Palos Verdes, California.
Wendy Holden is a celebrated journalist and the co-author of numerous bestselling books, including Tomorrow to be Brave by Susan Travers, A Lotus Grows in the Mud by Goldie Hawn, Lady Blue Eyes by Barbara Sinatra, and Memories Are Made of This by Deana Martin. She lives in England.
“Born in 1920, Cohn experienced the Holocaust firsthand. Like many others, she and her family found themselves gradually isolated, then singled out for arrest and deportation. (A sister died at Auschwitz; her lover was executed for his resistance activities.) A determined young woman whose features the Nazis did not consider “Jewish,” Cohn was able to acquire some nurse’s training. When Paris was liberated, she joined the French army and by January 1945 was working undercover. … Cohn was a remarkable she chastised Nazis to their faces, intimidated the prisoners she interrogated, learned to drive a stick-shift in one hour, possessed a photographic memory, verbally chastened a would-be rapist so severely that he not only abandoned his assault but offered to marry her, attracted the amorous attentions of most of the men she met, was a crack shot, survived falls through the ice, bullets, tanks, and traitors.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Despite having played a tremendous role in securing vital strategic information crucial to ending World War II, Cohn relays her amazing story of unprecedented bravery with simplicity and modesty.” —Elsa Gaztambide, Booklist
***
Marthe Cohn was a young Jewish woman living just across the German border in France when Hitler rose to power. Her family began sheltering fellow Jews fleeing the Nazis, including Jewish children sent away by their terrified parents. But soon France also fell under Nazi rule. As the French Jews’ basic human rights were stripped away under German occupation, Marthe’s sister Stéphanie was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she was never heard from again. The rest of her family fled safely to the south of France, but Marthe—always a fighter—joined the French Army to help rid her country of the Nazis.
As a member of the intelligence service of the French First Army, Marthe risked her life to retrieve crucial information about Nazi troop movements by slipping behind enemy lines, utilizing her perfect German accent and blond hair to pose as a young German nurse desperately trying to obtain word of a fictional fiancé. By traveling throughout the countryside and approaching troops sympathetic to her plight, chancing exposure every time she did so, she learned where they were going next and alerted Allied commanders.
When, at the age of eighty, Marthe Cohn was awarded the Médaille Militaire, France’s highest military honor, not even her children knew to what extent this modest woman had faced death daily while helping defeat the Nazi empire. At its heart, this remarkable memoir is the tale of an ordinary human being who, under extraordinary circumstances, became the hero her country needed her to be.
This edition contains 32 black-and-white photos, a bibliography, moving acknowledgements by Marthe Cohn, and a comprehensive epilogue.
***
About the Author
Marthe Cohn was a French Jewish spy in Nazi Germany during World War II. In 2005, she was awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur, contributing to her many military accolades. She lives in Palos Verdes, California.
Wendy Holden is a celebrated journalist and the co-author of numerous bestselling books, including Tomorrow to be Brave by Susan Travers, A Lotus Grows in the Mud by Goldie Hawn, Lady Blue Eyes by Barbara Sinatra, and Memories Are Made of This by Deana Martin. She lives in England.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2002
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About the author
Marthe Cohn
2 books7 followersMarthe Hoffnung Cohn was a French author, nurse, spy and Holocaust survivor. She wrote about her experiences as a spy during the Holocaust in the book Behind Enemy Lines (2002).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
September 3, 2011
This is the fascinating memoir of a young French-Jewish woman who survives the Holocaust because of her quick wits, her Aryan looks, and a forged identification card. After Paris is liberated (about halfway through the book), the reader discovers the reason for the book's title: Marthe -- who was raised in the Alsace Lorraine area and is fluent in both French and German -- decides to work as a spy in German-occupied territory.
She recalls so many details that this book is a stunning, albeit horrifying look at France during the war, portraying in living color the good people and the bad. Although many of her experiences -- and those of her many family members -- painfully illustrate virulent and widespread French anti-Semitism (I really expected better from the French Red Cross!), the following stunning image was an exception:
"One by one as we approached (the border between occupied and Vichy France), the men stopped smoking and the women stopped talking, and they all turned to stare back at us. There was near silence as we squeaked along with our bicycle, watching them watching us.
"An old man in a dark shirt and working trousers stood up from his rickety old wooden chair as we passed his house and stared at us intently. I returned his gaze, my hands clammy on the handelbars. Without saying a word, he suddenly dropped onto one knee and, hand on his chest, lowered his head in prayer. Next to him, his wife knelt on both knees in the dirt and made the sign of the cross. At the next house, two men fell similarly to their knees and began praying for us, their soft murmurings carried to us on the summer evening breeze.
Another passage that conversely blew my mind, witnessed by Marthe as she was posing as a German towards the end of the war, was a Wehrmacht officer regaling a busload of German women with tales of grisly murder in Russia and Poland:
"'We'd take them from their villages, men, women, and children, and march them to a nearby forest or clearing, where they had to dig their own graves," he said, his eyes quite mad. 'Then we'd line them all up and open fire. You should have seen them run as we strafed them with bullets. Like little mice!'
"His stubby fingers did little running movements and he made a squaking noise with his mouth. All the women in the bus laughed openly as the officer threw his head back and roared at the memory. I felt sick to my stomach . . . "
Guess you had to have been there to get the "joke" but this passage legitimately challenges the state of complete ignorance claimed by many post-war German civilians regarding Germany's crimes against humanity. But even if these women, like many other German civilians, really didn't know exactly what had happened to the Jews, Poles, captured Soviets and Resistance workers, their ability to find humor in a scene of mass slaughter is quite telling.
Because Marthe, a remarkable young woman, was often very close to danger, both as a Jew on the run and later, as a very capable French spy, and because this book is so well-written, it's a real page-turner.
She recalls so many details that this book is a stunning, albeit horrifying look at France during the war, portraying in living color the good people and the bad. Although many of her experiences -- and those of her many family members -- painfully illustrate virulent and widespread French anti-Semitism (I really expected better from the French Red Cross!), the following stunning image was an exception:
"One by one as we approached (the border between occupied and Vichy France), the men stopped smoking and the women stopped talking, and they all turned to stare back at us. There was near silence as we squeaked along with our bicycle, watching them watching us.
"An old man in a dark shirt and working trousers stood up from his rickety old wooden chair as we passed his house and stared at us intently. I returned his gaze, my hands clammy on the handelbars. Without saying a word, he suddenly dropped onto one knee and, hand on his chest, lowered his head in prayer. Next to him, his wife knelt on both knees in the dirt and made the sign of the cross. At the next house, two men fell similarly to their knees and began praying for us, their soft murmurings carried to us on the summer evening breeze.
Another passage that conversely blew my mind, witnessed by Marthe as she was posing as a German towards the end of the war, was a Wehrmacht officer regaling a busload of German women with tales of grisly murder in Russia and Poland:
"'We'd take them from their villages, men, women, and children, and march them to a nearby forest or clearing, where they had to dig their own graves," he said, his eyes quite mad. 'Then we'd line them all up and open fire. You should have seen them run as we strafed them with bullets. Like little mice!'
"His stubby fingers did little running movements and he made a squaking noise with his mouth. All the women in the bus laughed openly as the officer threw his head back and roared at the memory. I felt sick to my stomach . . . "
Guess you had to have been there to get the "joke" but this passage legitimately challenges the state of complete ignorance claimed by many post-war German civilians regarding Germany's crimes against humanity. But even if these women, like many other German civilians, really didn't know exactly what had happened to the Jews, Poles, captured Soviets and Resistance workers, their ability to find humor in a scene of mass slaughter is quite telling.
Because Marthe, a remarkable young woman, was often very close to danger, both as a Jew on the run and later, as a very capable French spy, and because this book is so well-written, it's a real page-turner.
September 11, 2017
Marthe Cohn is in her nineties now and has never hit five feet, but she played a major role in the final year of World War II, spying for the French troops in Germany. The fact that she grew up in Metz, France, speaking flawless French and German was a big help to her, and the atrocities she experienced that got members of her family and friends tortured and killed motivated her to action. Spy stories don't get more exciting than this one, especially since it's true. Faced with death many times, she survived to be decorated by the French government and finally told the story to her children.
September 6, 2018
It took an extra ordinary person (Marthe ) to take the lead in very bad circumstance to help her country (France) in the face of the Nazi's.
Later in life she was awarded France's highest military honor, the Medaille Militaire for her outstanding service to help defeat the Nazi regime.
Later in life she was awarded France's highest military honor, the Medaille Militaire for her outstanding service to help defeat the Nazi regime.
June 11, 2017
In writing a review for a different book about female spies during WWI, I remembered having read this book back in 2003. This is a fascinating true story of Marthe Cohn, a French Jewish spy in Nazi Germany during WWII. I highly recommend this book.
February 6, 2018
What a great book! I love reading memoirs in which the author’s voice is so strong that I feel like I know them personally by the end of the book. “Behind Enemy Line” was certainly one of such books. It tells a story of a young Jewish girl who was born in Alsace - a territory in France which has always been the subject of a dispute between Germany and France as both countries considered it their native territory. Raised in a multicultural community and yet having a strong Jewish identity, Marthe witnesses the beginning of the war and the atrocities against the Jewish population that it brings with it, and vows to do everything possible to help not only her family but everyone in need as well.
What is so amazing about this book is that the incredible stories of humanity in the darkest of times are brought to life through Marthe’s eyes, when the whole French nation united against the common enemy and help would come from the most unexpected source: a gentile neighbor, a Catholic priest, even a sympathizing German family. The bravery of not only the Resistance members but of ordinary people, who risked their lives in order to help the victims of Nazi persecution, is absolutely outstanding! And Marthe’s perseverance and resilience are also worth admiration, and particularly later in the story, where she joins the French army as an intelligence agent and goes as far as infiltrating enemy lines. Not many of us would be as brave in such a dangerous situation as this young lady, and she deserved my utmost respect not only for her heroic actions but her willpower and inner strength as well.
If you’re interested in WW2, Occupied France, and the Holocaust, read this wonderful book. I promise you will love it. A great memoir, written by a truly great woman.
What is so amazing about this book is that the incredible stories of humanity in the darkest of times are brought to life through Marthe’s eyes, when the whole French nation united against the common enemy and help would come from the most unexpected source: a gentile neighbor, a Catholic priest, even a sympathizing German family. The bravery of not only the Resistance members but of ordinary people, who risked their lives in order to help the victims of Nazi persecution, is absolutely outstanding! And Marthe’s perseverance and resilience are also worth admiration, and particularly later in the story, where she joins the French army as an intelligence agent and goes as far as infiltrating enemy lines. Not many of us would be as brave in such a dangerous situation as this young lady, and she deserved my utmost respect not only for her heroic actions but her willpower and inner strength as well.
If you’re interested in WW2, Occupied France, and the Holocaust, read this wonderful book. I promise you will love it. A great memoir, written by a truly great woman.
February 21, 2013
What a fascinating book! Marthe Cohn was a 19 year old French Jew when her family had to abandon their home and business to run from Nazi Germans who were invading their country. A pacifist who had enough hope and optimism to think problems could be averted if only the French and Germans sat down and talked it over, she was shocked at what the Germans would soon do to both Jewish and non-Jewish French.
Her family was close knit though the father had a past that made it difficult for him to be truly close to anyone. After fleeing their city, they settled in, started another business, and made friends- until their daughter Stephanie made the mistake of sending a ration coupon accidentally left behind by a Jew trying to go to the zone still controlled by the French via a French farmer who helped. Stephanie foolishly signed her name to the note which was found by the Nazis at the farmer's home when they raided it. Her father had dutifully obeyed Nazi orders for all Jews to come in and register their family information so they knew just where she lived. She was arrested and though the family got to see her in jail on occasion, they did not realize it until years after the war that she was sent to Auschwitz with a broken ankle at a time when those deemed unable to work would be gassed to death on arrival.
Marthe, at her mother's urging, tried to get Stephanie out of the jail in France and in the hospital (she had a serious kidney problem) so they could arrange her escape but Stephanie, who had never gotten a lot of attention at home, was well educated and insisted that the less educated women in the jail needed her. She would pay with her life for her foolishness this second time.
We follow Marthe from those early years all through the war and see the pain, discrimination, fear, and anguish the family faced with such grace. It's amazing how strong she had to be to go through what she did. I can't describe it here but please, do read this. It is rich in fascinating real life detail.
Marthe managed to become a registered nurse but faced a lot of anti-Jewish hatred even in the Red Cross and a lot of sexism when she wanted to help in the Resistance. With the help of her dead fiance's parents (he died in the resistance movement), she was able to join the army where sexism was the name of the game. It was her fluency in German and French that led her to being tapped to become an intelligence officer and spy on the Germans IN Germany!!!!! Yes, she faced a lot of problems and dangers but managed to do the work.
One thing I found disturbing was that while she hated being discriminated against for being a Jew and felt that the things the Nazis did to Jews during the occupation were cruel and wrong, when the French took over in areas of Germany and she had power, she did the same things to German civilians who had done nothing to her. She became power mad and cruel to people. At one point when she felt sympathetic to a German, she thought she might need to get out of Germany since she was able to feel empathy and not hatred for this German. To her credit, she finally saw what she was doing and felt a bit bad about it.
Her situation after the war trying to spy on the English and Americans seems much less worthy-these were allies and the French wanted to grab parts of Germany the others occupied. They let her in their offices with trust for an ally only for her to be there to steal documents.
She went off as a nurse to Indochina which the French had stolen from the native people and wanted to cling to. Colonials! It was thievery. What happened there-except for caring for a child, Serge, she wanted to adopt and the heartbreak of what happened with his creepy grandmother-was just terrible. Imagine a situation where a nursing student purposely drops a patient with a broken pelvis to the floor in hopes of being fired (if he quit, he'd have to repay his financial aid for study) or where a soldier being treated for syphilis "buys" an 8 year old Cambodian girl for sex right in the hospital and Marthe is threatened with arrest for trying to intervene and told that her moral beliefs don't hold there.
It is a fascinating story and includes photos and follow-ups about everyone. There is a heart-warming love for family here among the horrors and that is something no Nazi could ever take away from Jews. Beautifully written. Highly recommended.
Her family was close knit though the father had a past that made it difficult for him to be truly close to anyone. After fleeing their city, they settled in, started another business, and made friends- until their daughter Stephanie made the mistake of sending a ration coupon accidentally left behind by a Jew trying to go to the zone still controlled by the French via a French farmer who helped. Stephanie foolishly signed her name to the note which was found by the Nazis at the farmer's home when they raided it. Her father had dutifully obeyed Nazi orders for all Jews to come in and register their family information so they knew just where she lived. She was arrested and though the family got to see her in jail on occasion, they did not realize it until years after the war that she was sent to Auschwitz with a broken ankle at a time when those deemed unable to work would be gassed to death on arrival.
Marthe, at her mother's urging, tried to get Stephanie out of the jail in France and in the hospital (she had a serious kidney problem) so they could arrange her escape but Stephanie, who had never gotten a lot of attention at home, was well educated and insisted that the less educated women in the jail needed her. She would pay with her life for her foolishness this second time.
We follow Marthe from those early years all through the war and see the pain, discrimination, fear, and anguish the family faced with such grace. It's amazing how strong she had to be to go through what she did. I can't describe it here but please, do read this. It is rich in fascinating real life detail.
Marthe managed to become a registered nurse but faced a lot of anti-Jewish hatred even in the Red Cross and a lot of sexism when she wanted to help in the Resistance. With the help of her dead fiance's parents (he died in the resistance movement), she was able to join the army where sexism was the name of the game. It was her fluency in German and French that led her to being tapped to become an intelligence officer and spy on the Germans IN Germany!!!!! Yes, she faced a lot of problems and dangers but managed to do the work.
One thing I found disturbing was that while she hated being discriminated against for being a Jew and felt that the things the Nazis did to Jews during the occupation were cruel and wrong, when the French took over in areas of Germany and she had power, she did the same things to German civilians who had done nothing to her. She became power mad and cruel to people. At one point when she felt sympathetic to a German, she thought she might need to get out of Germany since she was able to feel empathy and not hatred for this German. To her credit, she finally saw what she was doing and felt a bit bad about it.
Her situation after the war trying to spy on the English and Americans seems much less worthy-these were allies and the French wanted to grab parts of Germany the others occupied. They let her in their offices with trust for an ally only for her to be there to steal documents.
She went off as a nurse to Indochina which the French had stolen from the native people and wanted to cling to. Colonials! It was thievery. What happened there-except for caring for a child, Serge, she wanted to adopt and the heartbreak of what happened with his creepy grandmother-was just terrible. Imagine a situation where a nursing student purposely drops a patient with a broken pelvis to the floor in hopes of being fired (if he quit, he'd have to repay his financial aid for study) or where a soldier being treated for syphilis "buys" an 8 year old Cambodian girl for sex right in the hospital and Marthe is threatened with arrest for trying to intervene and told that her moral beliefs don't hold there.
It is a fascinating story and includes photos and follow-ups about everyone. There is a heart-warming love for family here among the horrors and that is something no Nazi could ever take away from Jews. Beautifully written. Highly recommended.
January 25, 2016
Hoffnung Gutgluck as a surname certainly fits. This is Marthe Cohn's birth family's name. It means Hope and Good Luck. Her story is phenomenal and close to unbelievable for the number of times she skirted death before she was 25. And her life after the war, those first 6 years afterwards when she was in the French Army- those are as dicey! Maybe more. Not only in Europe but in Indochine (Saigon).
Not even 5 feet tall and weighing between 94-100 lbs. IMHO her appearance was deceiving to a exponential degree. Blonde and a native German speaker from birth- as well. That's the only language her parents spoke. But living in Alsace Lorraine she always spoke French in school and with her siblings. It was just a recipe. She was the cook. And an incredible actress. There are at least 6 or 7 times when she had to completely hide her actual emotional state. Once believing that her parents and sisters had already been taken when they split up to border cross into Free France- she still manages to effect flippant enquiry and flirting. And convince them of boredom after some hours, as well.
The entire book is told from the first person narration of Marthe. It's detailed beyond a cast of 200 or 300 characters. The trailer is misleading and it is not an easy read. Her 1945 plus time as a spy being the least of her activities. Much more encompasses the constant movement (helping anywhere from 3 to 5 others as well) through false papers and city to town to city to mountain to village to port movements always farther South and deeper into French territory not as heavily German occupied for the years before she did any spy or Army work. Literally 4 to 6 years of never stopping more than a month or two in each place and then onwards again. Not even when attending different nursing schools. She moves and moves others. And is constantly helping either an elderly or ill person, a child, a "nervous" neurotic or multiple imprisoned brothers or sisters in those transports. An absolute magician in getting the right "escapes" plotted to believability and intrinsic detail. Most of the time. There is great loss and sorrow at the failures.
She has written most of this at 85 years of age. And at the very end of the book she gives you 3 pages of complete follow up to all the dozens of relatives and other characters in the Resistance, the Army, the doctors or orphans in the Indochine years as of the 21st century. Closure is immense. Also there are photographs for her entire birth family, and most of the characters who are prime to association during the years 1938-1960 which are those years closely progressed within the book.
There are times in the first 3 or 4 years 1941-44, when only her incredible naivety harnessed by brashness/ nosiness to a loved one's location or over peers' outcomes enabled her to survive. Never being in one place long enough to get the whole answers, she still manages to snag some. And for all she saw, she states the mob action on the day of the Paris liberation against the women who collaborated (shaved heads and verbal abuse) is what she remembers the clearest. All of this (especially the moxie aspects of going where others fear to tread arising mostly out of anger) I can completely understand. Also her outlier reactions because she wants to "know what happened" and forgets the personal dangers.
When you view a mob moving in anger so fast and so hurtful for quick outward violence, how that moves; you never forget it. It's shocking beyond the typical "war and bullets" or execution line horrific reality. Because it's "neighbors". And it shocks permanently because it's not uniforms or armies but "normal" humans without the hierarchy!
She deserves the medal. And more. She spent most of her later life since 1960 in the USA. I will tell you no more, she is specific enough. The number of different sleeping arrangements! And never anything of a "couple" about it, either. This is a true story stunner. Could she ACT and did she have incredible physical endurance for her size. Plus the sacrifice of always being a spinster and staying "alone" in that sense until she was over 30. Devotion beyond heroic of quite another kind!
Not even 5 feet tall and weighing between 94-100 lbs. IMHO her appearance was deceiving to a exponential degree. Blonde and a native German speaker from birth- as well. That's the only language her parents spoke. But living in Alsace Lorraine she always spoke French in school and with her siblings. It was just a recipe. She was the cook. And an incredible actress. There are at least 6 or 7 times when she had to completely hide her actual emotional state. Once believing that her parents and sisters had already been taken when they split up to border cross into Free France- she still manages to effect flippant enquiry and flirting. And convince them of boredom after some hours, as well.
The entire book is told from the first person narration of Marthe. It's detailed beyond a cast of 200 or 300 characters. The trailer is misleading and it is not an easy read. Her 1945 plus time as a spy being the least of her activities. Much more encompasses the constant movement (helping anywhere from 3 to 5 others as well) through false papers and city to town to city to mountain to village to port movements always farther South and deeper into French territory not as heavily German occupied for the years before she did any spy or Army work. Literally 4 to 6 years of never stopping more than a month or two in each place and then onwards again. Not even when attending different nursing schools. She moves and moves others. And is constantly helping either an elderly or ill person, a child, a "nervous" neurotic or multiple imprisoned brothers or sisters in those transports. An absolute magician in getting the right "escapes" plotted to believability and intrinsic detail. Most of the time. There is great loss and sorrow at the failures.
She has written most of this at 85 years of age. And at the very end of the book she gives you 3 pages of complete follow up to all the dozens of relatives and other characters in the Resistance, the Army, the doctors or orphans in the Indochine years as of the 21st century. Closure is immense. Also there are photographs for her entire birth family, and most of the characters who are prime to association during the years 1938-1960 which are those years closely progressed within the book.
There are times in the first 3 or 4 years 1941-44, when only her incredible naivety harnessed by brashness/ nosiness to a loved one's location or over peers' outcomes enabled her to survive. Never being in one place long enough to get the whole answers, she still manages to snag some. And for all she saw, she states the mob action on the day of the Paris liberation against the women who collaborated (shaved heads and verbal abuse) is what she remembers the clearest. All of this (especially the moxie aspects of going where others fear to tread arising mostly out of anger) I can completely understand. Also her outlier reactions because she wants to "know what happened" and forgets the personal dangers.
When you view a mob moving in anger so fast and so hurtful for quick outward violence, how that moves; you never forget it. It's shocking beyond the typical "war and bullets" or execution line horrific reality. Because it's "neighbors". And it shocks permanently because it's not uniforms or armies but "normal" humans without the hierarchy!
She deserves the medal. And more. She spent most of her later life since 1960 in the USA. I will tell you no more, she is specific enough. The number of different sleeping arrangements! And never anything of a "couple" about it, either. This is a true story stunner. Could she ACT and did she have incredible physical endurance for her size. Plus the sacrifice of always being a spinster and staying "alone" in that sense until she was over 30. Devotion beyond heroic of quite another kind!
January 1, 2013
Fascinating memoir of Marthe Cohn's wartime experiences as a French Jew who spoke fluent German. Blonde and blue-eyed she was able to pass as a German and serve as a spy. She also hid her Jewish background as she served in the military. She tells the story of her family during the war and the ways in which their lives were touched, including the murder of her sister and the execution of her fiance. The story reads like a thriller and showed a different perspective of war time experience than one typically encounters. I highly recommend this book.
March 4, 2009
I could not put this book down. Reading this book was more like watching a movie, the descriptions were incredible and had so much detail I thought I was witnessing the events. Usually I have a hard time with books such as this, the people tend to come off as too good to be true, this was not the case with this book. Marthe was good and did a lot of heroic and selfless things, but she also proved to be human and made mistakes and wasn't afraid to admit them.
June 30, 2021
A truly incredible story. It is more an autobiography, as a good part of the book describes her early years before the Nazi occupation and concludes with her life after the war. I’m not complaining; it was an absolute pleasure to read.
I then read the reviews. I can’t say any more than what has already been said: I am filled with awe. I exist within a free and peaceful society (because of the sacrifice made by so many) and so cannot imagine what courage it takes to stand against such a merciless regime. All I can do is say, “Thank you.”
I doubt I would have her courage and determination. Against the setting of Nazi occupation and the hardship and injustice this brought, it may be inappropriate to say, “it was an absolute pleasure to read”.
But, it was. There are typos and it maybe needs another proof read: that does not distract from heart of this story. An ordinary, everyday girl, who wanted nothing more than a peaceful and happy life.
I was shocked by the anti-Semitism shown; and not just the Nazis. To think that people are prepared to wage war against a hateful regime and at the same time harbour resentment toward the Jewish population befuddles me.
I am so glad she survived and finally found happiness.
I then read the reviews. I can’t say any more than what has already been said: I am filled with awe. I exist within a free and peaceful society (because of the sacrifice made by so many) and so cannot imagine what courage it takes to stand against such a merciless regime. All I can do is say, “Thank you.”
I doubt I would have her courage and determination. Against the setting of Nazi occupation and the hardship and injustice this brought, it may be inappropriate to say, “it was an absolute pleasure to read”.
But, it was. There are typos and it maybe needs another proof read: that does not distract from heart of this story. An ordinary, everyday girl, who wanted nothing more than a peaceful and happy life.
I was shocked by the anti-Semitism shown; and not just the Nazis. To think that people are prepared to wage war against a hateful regime and at the same time harbour resentment toward the Jewish population befuddles me.
I am so glad she survived and finally found happiness.
October 12, 2017
Good read
I really got into this book. Very entertaining but then toward the end it read like an everyday diary. Let me know if I'm wrong. I could be.
I really got into this book. Very entertaining but then toward the end it read like an everyday diary. Let me know if I'm wrong. I could be.
March 26, 2025
Marthe Hoffnung was born in 1920 in the city of Metz in French Lorraine, 30 miles east of the Franco-German border to parents who were German Jews. They were instructed by the government to move to Poitiers temporarily, which they did, believing that the Germans would never invade France. The Germans arrived in Poitiers in July 1940 and France was split into an occupied and unoccupied zone, the Zone Libre. By September, the heads of all Jewish households had to register every family member. Their new papers identified them as Jews. Jews were banned from most professions and their property began to be confiscated. By 1941, Jews were forbidden to use radios, typewriters, or telephones. They couldn't go to the shops until 4:30 pm when most things had been sold. They couldn't go to any public places, such as restaurants, libraries or parks. During World War II, many members of Marthe's family were murdered by the Nazis, but she managed to survive, along with some family members, by getting false papers without the red stamp identifying them as Jews. She trained as a nurse through the intervention of a French Catholic nun who said that her religion was irrelevant. She also worked in the Resistance, helping Jews to escape. Because she was blond and blue-eyed, and spoke excellent German (the language that was spoken at home), she could pass for German, which led to her becoming a spy for the Allies. The book is beautifully written, capturing her adventures and trials. Even after the war, she continued to have an amazing life, about which she never spoke, not even to her husband and children, until relatively late in life she decided to write this book.
July 10, 2019
I stumbled across this book after watching a BBC documentary about the female spies of WWII. For some reason Behind Enemy Lines called out to me more so than all the other books related to this subject. I was fascinated by Marthe's story and after reading it I felt compelled to let her know. After some quick web searches I found that she lives in Palos Verdes and I took the bold move to send her a note to tell her what an inspiration she was. I also asked if she did book club talks. About a week later the phone rang and it was Marthe! After about 30 minutes of conversation with this remarkable woman I asked her that if I provided her transportation to NC would she be willing to speak with my book club. She graciously accepted within a month began a week long whirlwind tour of schools, libraries, churches, synagogues and, of course, my book club. What an evening that was! Marthe is the tiniest dynamo you will ever meet and at the current age of 98 she is still doing speaking engagements. She has won an amazing amount of awards for her bravery.
I highly recommend everyone read this book of a genuine, true to life hero with a bit of sassiness thrown in!
I highly recommend everyone read this book of a genuine, true to life hero with a bit of sassiness thrown in!
April 6, 2024
I found this true story of the war to be so enlightening on the lead up to the wars effect on this family to the aftermath. Wars don't start and end like a light switch and Marthe's fight against the Nazis and Axis powers in WWII extends far beyond Europe. I especially enjoyed seeing how little changes the slowly escalated lead to the entrapment of the Marthes family and friends. Nice to see so many of the people that did not make it through still have a voice.
August 6, 2025
A powerful story of a Jewish woman who was able to be a powerful asset in many different capacities during the Second World War and beyond. She was treated with hostility and prejudice, but preserved and accomplished great things. She was a nurse, a spy and a nurse anesthetist, first in France then in America getting her training at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.
A fascinating and empowering story.
A fascinating and empowering story.
January 7, 2019
Of love and war
Martha was truly a patriot to her country and a loving member of her family. She was both brave and courageous facing death and beating the odds so many times. She saw both the good and the bad in war and in the human spirit. Thank you Marthe for sharing your story.
Martha was truly a patriot to her country and a loving member of her family. She was both brave and courageous facing death and beating the odds so many times. She saw both the good and the bad in war and in the human spirit. Thank you Marthe for sharing your story.
December 6, 2018
This book is riveting, inspiring, heartbreaking, and even more incredible because it’s true. As a firsthand account of WWII it is a stark reminder of the horrors of war and yet the hope and unlikely heroes that arise under such harrowing circumstances.
March 3, 2016
Mrs Cohn came to speak in Park City, UT, which is why I wanted to finish this book. I didn't make it to her event, but this book chronicles her life during the war, and she is an amazing woman.
October 6, 2020
What a fantastic woman. I read this as part of our book club and we all loved it. Best of all she joined our last meeting on Zoom and was delighted to answer all our questions. Very inspiring
February 12, 2021
The Hoffnung family lived in France near the German border. Marthe was one of seven children in this Orthodox Jewish family. As a young girl she thought France could hold its own against the invasion of Nazism, but soon the Jews in her town were being singled out. Her sister Stephanie was arrested by the Gestapo. Her fiancé, a member of the Resistance, was shot and killed. On June 17, 1942, having acquired false papers, Marthe organized her family’s escape to the free zone. In November 1944, after the liberation of Paris, Marthe, now a nurse, enlisted and became a member of the Intelligence Service of the French 1st Army.
As she tells of the biases against her as a tiny female, her fight against fear, her determination to be brave, her struggles for survival as a border-crossing spy in the middle of warfare, the reader cannot help but feel her emotions with her.
This unlikely spy has received numerous awards for obtaining vital information for the Allied advance, including France’s highest military honor, the Medaille Militaire.
Though she vowed to never marry, Marthe, returning to France to continue her nursing career, met and married Major L. Cohn, a medical student. She is now (February, 2021) 100 years old.
As she tells of the biases against her as a tiny female, her fight against fear, her determination to be brave, her struggles for survival as a border-crossing spy in the middle of warfare, the reader cannot help but feel her emotions with her.
This unlikely spy has received numerous awards for obtaining vital information for the Allied advance, including France’s highest military honor, the Medaille Militaire.
Though she vowed to never marry, Marthe, returning to France to continue her nursing career, met and married Major L. Cohn, a medical student. She is now (February, 2021) 100 years old.
September 29, 2025
I love reading stories of spies during WW2. There were times when I could hardly believe this is an actual, biographical account. There were so many brave men & women during those difficult times, and their stories of heroism are stirring.
NOTE: There is one time where the word b****d is used, I believe by an enemy soldier. Other than that, content-wise, it is good. There's not anything graphic. (There are descriptions of people who have been in concentration camps or taken by the Germans, but never anything beyond The Hiding Place kind of descriptions)
NOTE: There is one time where the word b****d is used, I believe by an enemy soldier. Other than that, content-wise, it is good. There's not anything graphic. (There are descriptions of people who have been in concentration camps or taken by the Germans, but never anything beyond The Hiding Place kind of descriptions)
August 13, 2020
Amazing courageous woman. To read about what horrors her Jewish family and friends endured during WW2, and the courage she took as a spy in Germany. Remarkable!
April 22, 2018
I purchased this book new and found by accident I was going into the bookstore to pick-up books I ordered that arrived and I saw this book on the shelf and seeing it was a true story on a French Jewish woman putting her life in danger many times to save others I brought it. I am extremely happy I brought this book. Although by my standards its a small book under 300 pages its n excellent read. I decided to read it this past week to coincide with Israel's 70th birthday.
The translation of the book to English by Wendy was excellent there was no need to reread anything to understand what was being said.
I would give this book 4.75%
The translation of the book to English by Wendy was excellent there was no need to reread anything to understand what was being said.
I would give this book 4.75%
October 29, 2019
Marthe Cohn, née Hoffnung-Gutglück, grew up in Metz, France, a town which was near the French-German border. Her parents spoke German and she grew up bilingual. Her family was large, and not without its problems, but by and large her family was very loving and she and her siblings were happy. Marthe always had a rebellious streak, and when the Nazis threatened her family, her community, and her homeland, Marthe and her family all worked to rescue extended family members and other Jews. As time progressed, Marthe and her siblings worked to move their family to unoccupied France and were able to keep working to keep the family going financially.
The spy part of the book, while the hook to lure the reader in, is just one small part of decades' worth of amazing work that Marthe and her family performed. She had to be stubborn all along the way to be able to keep any sort of job, to study to become a nurse, to have her superiors believe her reports, to even sleep unmolested while in the military. Along the way she and her family received unexpected assistance from non-Jews, so although things looked dark, there was always a bit of light. For every three or so distrustful commanders, there were always one or two good commanders who stood by Marthe.
Marthe was able to rouse French citizens within Nazi Germany to assist her in her quest for information, and she had quite a few close scrapes with death both before her military career and during it. She does not gloss over the fear she experienced when going on her missions, nor the obstacles she faced.
This book is very well-written and the reader gets to know Marthe, her fiancé Jacques, and the myriad of other people she encountered along the way. Her mother, who seemed so helpless during the occupation, even gets a shining moment where she shocks her children. In the same way, but of course to a larger extent, Marthe surprised her own children and grandchild, who had no idea what she went through during World War II. This is also one of the few books where the post-war part did not become dull at all. We find out what happens to Marthe and her family as they regroup and begin again. The war left deep scars, but the world is a better place for all of them having been in it.
The spy part of the book, while the hook to lure the reader in, is just one small part of decades' worth of amazing work that Marthe and her family performed. She had to be stubborn all along the way to be able to keep any sort of job, to study to become a nurse, to have her superiors believe her reports, to even sleep unmolested while in the military. Along the way she and her family received unexpected assistance from non-Jews, so although things looked dark, there was always a bit of light. For every three or so distrustful commanders, there were always one or two good commanders who stood by Marthe.
Marthe was able to rouse French citizens within Nazi Germany to assist her in her quest for information, and she had quite a few close scrapes with death both before her military career and during it. She does not gloss over the fear she experienced when going on her missions, nor the obstacles she faced.
This book is very well-written and the reader gets to know Marthe, her fiancé Jacques, and the myriad of other people she encountered along the way. Her mother, who seemed so helpless during the occupation, even gets a shining moment where she shocks her children. In the same way, but of course to a larger extent, Marthe surprised her own children and grandchild, who had no idea what she went through during World War II. This is also one of the few books where the post-war part did not become dull at all. We find out what happens to Marthe and her family as they regroup and begin again. The war left deep scars, but the world is a better place for all of them having been in it.
July 10, 2025
She took you there!
What an amazing first-person account of a Jewish woman's bravery during the time of the Nazi's horrific acts! Her leadership, her heart, her care for those around her is something to behold. This is a compelling read, and I highly recommend it.
What an amazing first-person account of a Jewish woman's bravery during the time of the Nazi's horrific acts! Her leadership, her heart, her care for those around her is something to behold. This is a compelling read, and I highly recommend it.
January 7, 2019
An incredible spy story which is true , the memoirs tell the story of a young (19 years old )Jewish French girl during WWII of her endeavours to spite the Germans and to survive the war. She and most of her family managed to live through the horror of those years with the help and courageous assistance of all kinds of people . The book is a veritable page turner and once you start reading you get to empathise with the characters and want to know what is to happen next. The written word is very smooth flowing with attention to detail and the events are flowing with no dead ends at the finish.
"World events continue to haunt us . Hitler's panzer armies were nearing the gates of Moscow, Rommel's Afrika Korps were making sweeping advances in North Africa and Malta was under almost constant bombardment "pg 56
Major Renard had been a military judge in First World War and condemned to death many who had revolted against the war of the trenches . He received a medal for it although he'd never seen any active service . How could someone who had never fought know what it was like in the trenches ?My own experiences had taught me not to judge other people for what they do or don't do .Only they know the reason in their hearts .pg235
War taught me meany things among them that like anyone I could be a coward one minute and brave the next depending entirely on circumstance. War also made accept the inevitable and savor the important gains pg280.
"World events continue to haunt us . Hitler's panzer armies were nearing the gates of Moscow, Rommel's Afrika Korps were making sweeping advances in North Africa and Malta was under almost constant bombardment "pg 56
Major Renard had been a military judge in First World War and condemned to death many who had revolted against the war of the trenches . He received a medal for it although he'd never seen any active service . How could someone who had never fought know what it was like in the trenches ?My own experiences had taught me not to judge other people for what they do or don't do .Only they know the reason in their hearts .pg235
War taught me meany things among them that like anyone I could be a coward one minute and brave the next depending entirely on circumstance. War also made accept the inevitable and savor the important gains pg280.
October 14, 2019
Breathtaking true story, phenomenal writing
Breathtaking, jaw-dropping true story that read like fiction, told in a truly gripping fashion. The writing was phenomenal. The “characters” (actual family members) were well developed and the organization was impeccable. I’ve read many, many books in this genre and this is claiming a spot at the top of my list. Not one I’ll soon forget.
Breathtaking, jaw-dropping true story that read like fiction, told in a truly gripping fashion. The writing was phenomenal. The “characters” (actual family members) were well developed and the organization was impeccable. I’ve read many, many books in this genre and this is claiming a spot at the top of my list. Not one I’ll soon forget.
May 20, 2024
If a little heroism is needed as an antidote to the national malaise, this book is just the right medicine. It affirms one's belief that individuals will maintain integrity, assume great risks and make sacrifices for causes bigger than themselves. Placing a bookmark was not easy to do with this compelling story.
Marthe (Hoffnung) Cohn, a blonde, blue-eyed 20-year old 4'11" female speaking fluent German, infiltrated Germany on multiple missions during WWII as a French Jewish spy, using her cunning, memory and language skills to survive her volunteer experience behind enemy lines.
Born in French Lorraine, a disputed region 30 miles from the German border, her family moved from Metz to Paris to Poitiers and finally to the unoccupied southwestern region of France trying to stay ahead of the Nazi war-machine, especially prudent decisions including risky escapes for a Jewish family. Not all ended well for them.
Trained as a nurse, she, like other family members, wanted to serve France in the Resistance, consumed with anger after her fiancé died by Gestapo firing squad. Denied several times for being Jewish, she finally earned a military role when her fiancé's mother advocated for her after Paris was liberated. Her military reconnaissance in Germany provided valuable information to her French superiors who awarded her the Croix de Guerre among other recognitions.
Marthe (Hoffnung) Cohn, a blonde, blue-eyed 20-year old 4'11" female speaking fluent German, infiltrated Germany on multiple missions during WWII as a French Jewish spy, using her cunning, memory and language skills to survive her volunteer experience behind enemy lines.
Born in French Lorraine, a disputed region 30 miles from the German border, her family moved from Metz to Paris to Poitiers and finally to the unoccupied southwestern region of France trying to stay ahead of the Nazi war-machine, especially prudent decisions including risky escapes for a Jewish family. Not all ended well for them.
Trained as a nurse, she, like other family members, wanted to serve France in the Resistance, consumed with anger after her fiancé died by Gestapo firing squad. Denied several times for being Jewish, she finally earned a military role when her fiancé's mother advocated for her after Paris was liberated. Her military reconnaissance in Germany provided valuable information to her French superiors who awarded her the Croix de Guerre among other recognitions.
February 21, 2016
An intense and engaging book. A must-read! This is one of our read-aloud books & it is perfectly suited for that. It is written in such an engaging & descriptive format that we feel we are walking along with Marte Cohn, a young Jewish woman, her family & friends. I'm thankful that some in this war generation are telling their stories, lest they be lost forever. We must never forget! Beware: it's a book you get emotionally sucked into as you read of their brave moves to protect the family, the separation of young love, the courage of the Resistance workers and French Patriots and the treatment from the own government and the Nazis. I have read through tears & been emotionally exhausted by the end of a chapter. Although we have the benefit of having been to some of the locations she describes, which personalized it a bit for us, I can't imagine the horror of those days & the bravery of those men and women who lived through them. If you get a chance watch the You Tube videos of Marte speaking today. An absolutely incredible story! I just want to drive down to Palo Verde and meet her! It would be such an honor to meet a true hero.
August 13, 2018
There is no doubt that Marthe Cohn played a brave role in the Resistance during the German occupation of France during World War II. Crossing secretly into Germany to provide intelligence to the French about German troop movement showed amazing courage and determination in the face of great danger, for which she was eventually rewarded France's highest military honor. After the war, she continued be serve as a nurse in dangerous situations. After the death of her fiancee, she devoted her life to her efforts and it wasn't until much later that she allowed herself any kind of a personal life at all.
Her actions were heroic and and the story was inspiring. I just didn't feel that the writing lived up to the potential of telling a gripping story. It was more of a monotone recitation of dates, places and people and needed more passion in the telling for me.
Her actions were heroic and and the story was inspiring. I just didn't feel that the writing lived up to the potential of telling a gripping story. It was more of a monotone recitation of dates, places and people and needed more passion in the telling for me.
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