Robert Thomas was a resistance fighter and unofficial cartographer of the German Atlantic Wall. Author Pascal Hourblin reveals the extraordinary role this shadow warrior played in the liberation of France. British intelligence gave him the task of drawing and transmitting as accurately as possible hundreds of maps and plans of the German coastal defences in Normandy in preparation for the Allied landings. He also contributed to the evacuation of many Allied airmen who had to bail out over occupied France. His sisters and his parents were also active in the resistance. In particular, they produced more than 2,500 forged papers in the strictest secrecy.
This book describes the dramatic life of French resistance fighter Robert Thomas as well as his secret cartography work in the service of the Allies on the German Atlantic Wall in Normandy, richly detailed from the man's written legacy 75 years after his deeds. An exceptional book, illustrated with more than 380 documents, maps, plans (many of which show fortifications in Jersey and Cherbourg and Le Havre) and contemporary photographs (including rare shots of the "Maquis of Ain").
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Hourblin, Pascal
Title
Robert Thomas. Résistant et Cartograph du Mur de l'Atlantique
Details
French text, 380 photos, sketches, plans, documents and maps, mostly in colour, large format. 208 pages.