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Ten thousand eyes
History, Todt Organization, Westwall, Siegfried Line, World War Two, France
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
4 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Richard Collier
101 books13 followersRichard Collier, was born in London, England in 1924. He joined the Royal Air Force at eighteen after that, as a war correspondent, he traveled throughout the Far East.
He worked on numerous British and American magazines and wrote more than half a dozen books about the Second World War.
He worked on numerous British and American magazines and wrote more than half a dozen books about the Second World War.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 25, 2020
I didn't know much about the Deuxième Bureau beyond 'where James Bond's mate Mathis works', and I was fascinated by this story of intelligence-gathering along the Atlantic Wall in preparation for D-Day. Maps and measurements taken by thousands of operatives, from a teenager leading his blind friend on innocent beach walks to clerks borrowing rubber stamps to forge official documents, add up to a picture that helps the Allies plan their attack.
The language and attitude are of their time (those funny French!); a character from Alsace is described as 'the large Alsatian', which gave me entirely the wrong mental image. But the events and the people involved in them make for such a great tale, it's hard to go wrong.
The language and attitude are of their time (those funny French!); a character from Alsace is described as 'the large Alsatian', which gave me entirely the wrong mental image. But the events and the people involved in them make for such a great tale, it's hard to go wrong.
July 10, 2017
First published in 1958, Ten Thousand Eyes tells the story of some of the many French who, while pretending to bow down to their Nazi captors, gathered information critical to supporting the Allies during WWII to help France win freedom. The book focuses primarily on those who worked on pulling all the details of Hitler's "Wall" - the physical wall the Third Reich built to protect France from shoreline invasion.
The book, perhaps unintentionally, provides the reader in the early 21st century with a concept of life in an occupied country. Blackout and curfew from 9pm to 6am, if not 6pm to 6am. No boats away from the dock overnight for any reason. Fishing boats to sea within a certain perimeter only, all subject to inspection before leaving the dock and upon return. All adults subject to conscription for labor, all use of public and private transportation requiring a pass. Any house chosen for occupation force (upon which the current occupants must vacate) or soldier boarding. No radios or wireless transmission of any kind. Violators of curfew and other occupying force orders subject to the whims of the occupation army - jail, deportation, concentration camp, immediate execution.
As a result of this constant environmental persecution, those who work to find the information needed by the Allies are always under what you could tactfully call stress. I often found it hard to put the book down. And you'll find human nature to be frustrating as the errors made have such an impact - the agent who writes everything down and is caught, the agent who takes unnecessary chances, not to mention the double agent or the agent who just knows too much and gets captured - and is tortured without his cyanide.
The book is sketchy on details (there's no map of the French coastline, there's an assumption that we have a map of Paris in our heads, it's lacking details on many of the agents referenced); so you get a flavor, an important flavor, of what happened rather than a full taste. This is an introduction to a few of the key French players, and a knowledge that there were incredibly brave French fighters who helped make D-Day successful.
The book, perhaps unintentionally, provides the reader in the early 21st century with a concept of life in an occupied country. Blackout and curfew from 9pm to 6am, if not 6pm to 6am. No boats away from the dock overnight for any reason. Fishing boats to sea within a certain perimeter only, all subject to inspection before leaving the dock and upon return. All adults subject to conscription for labor, all use of public and private transportation requiring a pass. Any house chosen for occupation force (upon which the current occupants must vacate) or soldier boarding. No radios or wireless transmission of any kind. Violators of curfew and other occupying force orders subject to the whims of the occupation army - jail, deportation, concentration camp, immediate execution.
As a result of this constant environmental persecution, those who work to find the information needed by the Allies are always under what you could tactfully call stress. I often found it hard to put the book down. And you'll find human nature to be frustrating as the errors made have such an impact - the agent who writes everything down and is caught, the agent who takes unnecessary chances, not to mention the double agent or the agent who just knows too much and gets captured - and is tortured without his cyanide.
The book is sketchy on details (there's no map of the French coastline, there's an assumption that we have a map of Paris in our heads, it's lacking details on many of the agents referenced); so you get a flavor, an important flavor, of what happened rather than a full taste. This is an introduction to a few of the key French players, and a knowledge that there were incredibly brave French fighters who helped make D-Day successful.
September 21, 2015
After visiting Normandy, I wanted to learn more about the French Resistance. I had an incredible tour guide who recommended this title as the best to learn about the Resistance.
I very much liked the book, but I can't read material that has graphic violence and even though most people would say this book does not contain graphic violence, I had a hard time sleeping while reading the book. The mental images were too disturbing for me. Nevertheless, this book mentions what the Resistance fighters endured, and that's important to know.
It was difficult to follow dates chronologically. The year was most often excluded from many of the stories and I rarely knew what year a particular event was occurring. However, I'm not sure this was necessary. The book clearly outlines the beginning and end of the Resistance and, of course, critical events overlap.
I glad I read this book. I never realized how closely the French Resistance and the English were working together. I have a deeper appreciation of the incredible sacrifice made by the French people for their homeland.
I very much liked the book, but I can't read material that has graphic violence and even though most people would say this book does not contain graphic violence, I had a hard time sleeping while reading the book. The mental images were too disturbing for me. Nevertheless, this book mentions what the Resistance fighters endured, and that's important to know.
It was difficult to follow dates chronologically. The year was most often excluded from many of the stories and I rarely knew what year a particular event was occurring. However, I'm not sure this was necessary. The book clearly outlines the beginning and end of the Resistance and, of course, critical events overlap.
I glad I read this book. I never realized how closely the French Resistance and the English were working together. I have a deeper appreciation of the incredible sacrifice made by the French people for their homeland.
August 4, 2024
Before starting this book, I was very excited to read it. I love WWII history. But once I started it was a struggle for me to get through this book. I found myself reading, paragraphs twice and sometimes three times try to really comprehend what I was reading. It felt like it was written like when you hear the parents on the Peanuts shows with Charlie Brown and all, "Wan Wan Wan". It took me over 2 months to read this. I didn't want to quit the book, but I struggled to pick it up and read it.
That is why I am giving it just 2 stars.
That is why I am giving it just 2 stars.
September 15, 2021
Excellent book on the creation and execution of the French resistance in WW II. The amount of details was perfect and there was an adequate amount of suspense as these were real people who could expect a visit from the Gestapo at any time, knowing that this could lead to torture and death, and yet did much important work providing London with maps and details about the Atlantic Wall set up by the Nazis.
December 25, 2021
Spellbinding account of the French Resistance in Normandy. While occasionally a bit too encyclopedic, the details that Collier amasses weave a stunning tapestry of the dangers and triumphs involved.
May 29, 2015
When people are threatened, as were the French by Hitler, those who are heroes rise to the occasion. "Ten Thousand Eyes" is the story of many heroes and heroines - those who risked everything to be part of the cause of freedom. How maps were spirited away, how gun and mine emplacements were located and mapped, how D-Day worked because of the lengthy months of preparation to find Hitler's weak spots and exploit them - this is the story. Not famous and rich people, but teenagers and tradesmen and housewives are the heroes of this story. Many did lose everything - but through their sacrifices, Hitler's Atlantic Wall did crack and D-Day succeeded. The research is thorough, the characters are actual people, and the book is a rich history of an integral part of WWII.
May 31, 2008
It's amazing to see how lucky the Allies were in having the network survive many near-misses - they very well might not have won without it.
February 29, 2024
Interesting story concerning a spy network.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews