"Under the shadow of Nazi occupation, ordinary men and women leading apparently quiet lives as doctors, farmers, housewives, priests, and teachers engaged in spy thriller adventures to save the Allied airmen raining down among them. French and Belgian patriots, usually without aid or training, created elaborate escape lines that enabled thousands of Allied airmen to evade enemy capture.

Known simply as "helpers," these men and women organized prison breakouts, seaside evacuations, and parachute drops as well as provided food, shelter, and traveling papers for the men in their care. All this was done amidst the constant threat of betrayal by a traitor or brutal arrest and interrogation by Gestapo agents.".

"To research these stories, Ottis hiked the Pyrenees and interviewed many of the surviving helpers and evaders. She tells of the extreme difficulty helpers had in avoiding Nazi infiltration by double agents; of their creativity in hiding evaders in their homes, sometimes in the midst of unexpected searches; and of their generosity in sharing their meager food supplies during wartime. Silent Heroes is filled with dashing heroes, dastardly villains, well-planned traps, and last-minute escapes.

The sum of these stories reveals the unflagging spirit and courage of these men and women in the face of a war fought on a very personal level."--BOOK JACKET.