Stay Alive

B17 bomber pilot, Captain Steve Marshall, is shot down over France on his 20th mission after delivering his payload of bombs on German targets. The bombing runs from England over France into Germany claimed the lives of 55,000 Allied airmen during WW2. Being a member of a 10-man bomber crew was considered almost suicidal. Marshall fights to stay alive when his parachute hits the ground hard near Reims. He is wounded, but manages to kill two German soldiers pursuing him. He is nursed back to health by a French nurse, who he falls in love with. The road to freedom leads south through France, over the Pyrenees Mountains into neutral Spain and south to Gibraltar. The Comet Line is just beginning and is made up of a long string of safe houses provided by helpers, as the families are called. Helpers' lives often are torn apart by collaborators who report them to the Germans. But the French men and women are dedicated to driving out the Germans at all costs and helping Allied airmen survive is paramount to them. Marshall makes it back to London thanks to the fledgling Comet Line that is run by several women. The Army Air Force loans Marshall, with his permission, to MI9. This British intelligence and counter-espionage agency has been established to set up evasion and escape lines through France, and Marshall agrees to return and help them succeed. He works first with the Comet Line and then with the Pat Line along the eastern half of France. A high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues between Marshall and his German adversaries as they try to kill or capture him while he is providing money, forged papers and supplies to the French men and women working the escape routes. His survival challenges are entwined in moral complexity as he makes quick decisions about whether to kill or not, while being pursued. This intense, moving thriller showcases gripping human stories of valor and sacrifice by everyday French people dedicated to restoring freedom to their beloved country. Helpers protected and shielded nearly 5,000 airmen and assisted them in their escapes back to Great Britain during WW2.