The Quest for Freedom: Belgian Resistance in World War II

by Yvonne de Ridder Files

This is the story of a true hero of WWII, a young woman who risked her life fighting the Nazis during the entire war. She was extensively involved in both sabotage and espionage, and later in the sheltering and movement of allied airmen. She was betrayed, tortured, and when she refused to divulge any information she was sentenced to be hanged; but she was saved by the liberation of Antwerp on September 4th, 1944. For the actions she describes in this book, she was later awarded a certificate of merit by General Eisenhower.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

171 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

Reviews

[Lady ♥ Belleza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first person account of Yvonne de Ridder Files. She was living in Antwerp, Belgium when it was invaded by the Germans. Her husband wanted to flee, as a good wife she went with him, they returned after a few months. Her husband was American and was able to return to America. That is the last we hear of him.

The rest of the book details her activities with the Resistance movement in Antwerp. She explains how she managed to contact them, what her duties were and some close calls she had with the Gestapo and other German officials. She is caught and interrogated, the interrogations involved severe beatings, and eventually sentenced to hang. This was not a surprise, she knew from the beginning that if she was caught she would be executed. Fortunately for her, the Allies arrived before sentence was carried out, the city was liberated and she was released.

She then details how she then got a job with the military, there were some events that related to her wartime activities. How she ended up living in America.

This is a rather quick read, the style is very matter of fact and pleasant to read, she tells what happens with enough attention to detail. I would recommend this book.

[Fem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fast paced book about a Flemish woman in WWII, fighting for the freedom of Belgium. Very inspiring.

I couldn't give the fifth star, because I found a lot of spelling mistakes and the storyline could be improved a little (for example, whatever happened to her first husband?). The ending of the book wasn't so smooth, I think the last chapter could have been reduced to a two page epilogue.

Even still, I loved this book. Not only because I love Belgium and its people. The author is very modest, very Belgian and very courageous. She gives the reader a taste of living in Antwerp during WWII, the risks of being patriotic and the reality of ugly betrayal by selfish people, terrified people or just outright evil people.

I would love to hear more stories of the Belgian resistance network.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and indepth personal account of the resistance efforts in Belgium during WWII. Inspiring! A great book for anyone undertaking research on the subject.