“[T]he 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 WeeklyMarthe Cohn was a young Jewish woman living just across the German border in France when Hitler rose to power. Her family sheltered Jews fleeing the Nazis, including Jewish children sent away by their … children sent away by their terrified parents. But soon her homeland was also under Nazi rule. As the Nazi occupation escalated, Marthe’s sister was arrested and sent to Auschwitz and the rest of her family was forced to flee to the south of France.
Always a fighter, Marthe joined the French Army and became a member of the intelligence service of the French First Army. Marthe, using her perfect German accent and blond hair to pose as a young German nurse who was desperately trying to obtain word of a fictional fiancé, would slip behind enemy lines to retrieve inside information about Nazi troop movements. By traveling throughout the countryside and approaching troops sympathetic to her plight–risking death every time she did so–she learned where they were going next and was able to alert Allied commanders.
When, at the age of eighty, Marthe Cohn was awarded France’s highest military honor, the Médaille Militaire, not even her children knew to what extent this modest woman had helped 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.
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Well-written true account by one Jewish woman of her and her family’s survival in France during World War II and the Nazi occupation, and her undercover work for the French military prior to the end of the war. Well-written and interesting. I found myself caught up in the story and people.
This is an informative, historical story about the Holocaust in France and the characters are captivating and moving. Even though it is non-fiction, it reads like a novel and is well worth reading!
A very interesting read. Enjoyed it alot.
A beautiful and moving story of a family’s life under Nazi rule. And an inspirational true life story of how one family was touched and touched others. It is a deeply personal tale of courage and honor that is beautifully written and that you won’t be able to put down. In the end, you’ll feel like you know these people very deeply personally, …
This was a true story. It was very eye opening. This could easily happen agaiin
Important story to read
Enlightening
I did not realize when I started the book that it was a biography. I things this woman did and what she lived through is unbelievable. She was amazing and certainly deserved the highest military honor that France could give. It was a good look at WW II from a Jewish family, a spy, and an oppressed nation under Nazi rule.
Marthe Cohen is an incredible woman. We know her personally and she has a wealth of interesting stories to tell.
I was deeply moved by Marthe’s story. It is horrifyingly poignant and yet inspiring.
Marthe Cohn shares an intimate look at the horrors and frightening adventures she endured as a young woman during World War Two. The story is gripping, horrifying and yet reaffirms the hope in human spirit that can prevail when evil surrounds us. Her fears, …
Well written. It’s truly amazing what a person can accomplish under the most terrifying circumstances fraught with risk of capture, torture, and death. Her courage, resoursefulness and resolve are a true testament to the human spirit.
I enjoyed the realism and insight
Minimal action with a very loose interpretation of the word “spying”. Disappointing and does a disservice to those who really took extraordinary risks in helping defeat Nazism.
An amazing true story about one woman in the resistance movement in World War II.
Great story of WWII and the family/relationship struggles faced by everyday folks.
This true storybbeats most thrillers!
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 …
An absolutely compelling human narrative that takes the reader through the terrible years of Nazi occupation of France and the author’s harrowing and often heartbreaking experiences with the Resistance all the way through her time as a nurse with the French army in Indochina. We suffer her losses and rejoice in her hard-earned triumphs, all the …
True story about a very tough woman with a nerves of steel. Amazing how she survived.
A great woman of her time.