This fascinating book tells the remarkable story of an ordinary American woman’s heroism in the French Resistance. Virginia Roush fell in love with Philippe d’Albert-Lake during a visit to France in 1936; they married soon after. In 1943, they both joined the Resistance, where Virginia put her life in jeopardy as she sheltered downed airmen and later survived a Nazi prison camp. After the war, she stayed in France with Philippe, and was awarded the Légion d’Honneur and the Medal of Honor. She died in 1997.
Judy Barrett Litoff brings together two rare documents—Virginia’s diary of wartime France until her capture in 1944 and her prison memoir written immediately after the war. Masterfully edited, they convey the compassion and toughness of a nearly forgotten heroine as they provide an invaluable record of the workings of the Resistance by one of the very few American women who participated in it.
“An indelible portrait of extraordinary strength of character . . . [D’Albert-Lake] is sombre, reflective, and attentive to every detail.”—The New Yorker
“A sharply etched and moving story of love, companionship, commitment, and sacrifice. . . . This beautifully edited diary and memoir throw an original light on the French Resistance.”—Robert Gildea, author of Marianne in Chains: In Search of the German Occupation, 1940-1945
“At once a stunning self-portrait and dramatic narrative of a valorous young American woman . . . an exciting and gripping story, one of the best of the many wartime tales.” —Walter Cronkite
“An enthralling tale which brims with brave airmen and plucky heroines.”—David Kirby, St. Petersburg Times
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Editor’s Note
- Introduction Women and the French Resistance: The Story of Virginia d’Albert-Lake
- Remembering My Mother
- Part I: The Diary, October 11, 1939–April 1944
- 1 Outbreak of War to the Fall of France, October 11, 1939–June 23, 1940
- 2 Life after the Fall of France, June 24, 1940–August 29, 1940
- 3 Life after the Fall of France, September 1940–April 1944
- Part II: The Memoir, “My Story”
- 4 Working for Comet Escape Line and Arrest, Fall 1943–June 14, 1944
- 5 Imprisonment at Fresnes and Romainville, June 15, 1944–August 15, 1944
- 6 Deportation to Ravensbrück, August 15, 1944–August 22, 1944
- 7 Internment at Ravensbrück and Torgau, August 22, 1944–October 16, 1944
- 8 Internment at Könisgberg, October 16, 1944–February 2, 1945
- 9 Return to Ravensbrück, February 2, 1945–February 28, 1945
- 10 Liebenau, February 28, 1945–Late May 1945
- 11 Epilogue
- Afterword
- Appendixes
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
- Appendix 3
- Appendix 4
- Appendix 5
- Appendix 6
- Appendix 7
- Appendix 8
- Appendix 9
- Appendix 10
- Appendix 11
- Appendix 12
- Appendix 13
- Appendix 14
- Further Reading
- Index
- Footnotes
- Page xi
- Page xii
- Page xiii
- Page xiv
- Page xv
- Page xvi
- Page xvii
- Page xviii
- Page ix
- Page xx
- Page xxi
- Page xxii
- Page xxiii
- Page xxiv
- Page xxv
- Page xxvi
- Page xxvii
- Page xxviii
- Page xxix
- Page xxx
- Page xxxi
- Page xxxii
- Page xxxiii
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 112
- Page 116
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 124
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 130
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 137
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 152
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 165
- Page 167
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 178
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 187
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 196
- Page 199
- Page 207
- Page 210
- Page 212
- Page 218
- Page 220
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 229
- Page 232
- Page 235
- Page 236
- Page 237
- Page 239
- Page 240
- Page 241
- Page 247
- Page 252
- Page 253
- Page 254
- Page 255
- Page 256
- Page 257
- Page 258
- Page 259
- Page 260
- Page 261
- Page 262
- Page 263
- Page 264
Text
Audio
Adobe DRM
Login to your account