The Hidden Army MI9's Secret Force and the Untold Story of D-Day

In the midst of World War II, the MI9 came up with a daring escape and evasion plan to hide downed RAF and Allied pilots from the Nazis. Airey Neave, one of the first men to escape from Colditz, developed a plan that involved subterfuge, concealment, and deception on an unprecedented scale. Instead of risking repatriation or relying on the infiltrated Comete Escape Line, Neave's plan involved hiding the pilots right under the enemy's nose in a forest next to a large German ammunition base in France. This operation remained so secret that the locals were unaware of the presence of Allied forces until the end. Through interviews with evaders, Resistance members, and the children who smuggled food into the forest, this book tells the remarkable story of one of the most audacious operations of World War II.