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D-Day Girls by Sarah Rose

D-Day Girls

The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II

by Sarah Rose

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  • Apr 2019, 400 pages
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There are currently 43 reader reviews for D-Day Girls
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Constance C. (Bristol, RI)

Wonderful brave women
D-Day Girls is a well researched and written book. These are fascinating and very brave women. These were the women of Churchill's Special Operations Executive. Not everyone was in favor of sending women behind the lines, parachuting with Nazis controlling France. They were very highly trained and blended in with the locals, displaying great courage. Wiring info to London. The author has written a book for history lovers who will just enjoy reading and admiring all of these women.
Leah L. (Lawrence, NY)

A new and engaging twist to World War II
Sarah Rose's D-Day Girls is a worthwhile addition to the tsunami of both fiction and non-fiction about World War II that has proliferated and continues to do so. The war had to be "turned around" and with necessity being the mother of invention, some of the Allies recruited and trained women.

Rose's engaging book, which will undoubtedly make for a great movie, is meticulously researched through a plethora of sources, including primary interviews. The reader not only gets the facts but also is invited into the "heads" of the key characters so you connect with them and feel what they felt.

Rose depicts the anti-Semitism within the ranks and how the Jewish recruits were perceived and treated. The contemporary relevance is remarkable.

D-Day Girls is one ambitious piece of writing and Rose has done it well. She has uncovered a piece of history that hitherto had been concealed.
Dorothy H. (Folsom, CA)

Women Resistance WWII True Tales
This is a true recounting of British women that went to France and fought in the Resistance, some returned after the war others not so fortunate. Reads like historical fiction. There are footnotes for each chapter that provide a bit more detail. Many sources are noted if one wishes to do additional research . Easy to read, kept my attention.
Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)

Interesting perspective on WWII
D-Day Girls provides an interesting perspective on WWII by focusing on the contributions of women to the preparations for D-Day. The book takes the reader from the decision (somewhat difficult for the men of Britain) to employ women as undercover agents in the war effort, to the conclusion of the war when these valiant women were recognized for their efforts (though not on the same level as the men who performed the same things as the women - women's equality was not a "thing" in 1946!). Details about what it took to organize a resistance group, receive supplies to sabotage important supplies lines, coordinating and executing the sabotage, and the courage after capture to endure the gruesome interrogation as well as the captivity is awe inspiring. The author provides insightful historical information that serves to integrate how the women's undercover efforts played into events and activities occurring simultaneous to what they were doing or experiencing. This book is an important contribution to understanding what it took to execute D-Day and how women contributed to it. It was a good read and a book I would recommend.
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Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)

Heartbreaking
It is very difficult to say you would like this book...it is hard to read about a war and torture and not recoil. Yet the stories of these incredibly brave women should be told, and honored.

The book is well researched and well written. Recommended.
Jeff M. (Somerset, NJ)

A well-researched story
A very well-researched book by Sarah Rose about the women agents the British government sent to France (and to other European countries) during World War II to help setup, work with and support local Resistance groups and send vital information on the enemy back to Britain. While the story of the SOE (Secret Operations Executive) Office is likely well-known to those interested in WWII, it is probably less so in the US, especially the key roles the SOE agents played in the D-Day invasion. Sarah Rose takes the reader on the dangerous journey five of the female agents faced in enemy territory (about one-third of roughly 50 women agents did not return) and the hardships they endured both during the war and, for some survivors, adjusting back into society. The story is fast-paced, simply told and for a history enthusiast like myself, it added a new perspective about D-Day and events in France. I would recommend the book. A couple of comments outside of the book's story. I personally did not care for title "D-Day Girls", which to me, did not lend itself to the very serious story it is trying tell. For a fictional version of SOE activities (with some of the real personages from "D-Day Girls"), see Wilbur Smith's "Courtney's War" which was published last fall.
Carmel B. (Manchester, NH)

D-Day Girls - Forgotten Heroins
Imagine! There are still those today who think that women have no place in the armed services. They are among those who call the escapades and heroism of the D-Day Girls "twaddle." The British government could not even acknowledge their existence after the war and continued to keep their identities and contributions a secret for more than fifty years! Sarah Rose illuminates not only the ugly underbelly of Special Military Operations and their masterminds, but also exposes a side of Winston Churchill that is little discussed, much less admitted. Once again, we are reminded that "All is fair in love and war." Intriguing read, even for men, if they can open their minds.
Bev C. (Latrobe, PA)

D-Day Girls
D-Day Girls is not a quick, easy read. It's not meant to be.

I found these heroines daring and courageous and was pleased that their classified exploits were available to share.

I have seen questions concerning the accuracy of some elements
of this exposition but I will quickly add that there are 88 pages of notes and bibliography. I'm not a WWII scholar, those calls are for someone else.
I found the read intriguing and informative but did experience a little delay in adjusting to the flow from chapter to chapter.

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