Last Hope Island : Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of War

A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times best-selling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days. When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France. As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as "Last Hope Island". Getting there, one young emigré declared, was "like getting to heaven". In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive "H7" monogram became a symbol of his country's resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible. Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans' heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans' reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations - gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe - that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion. A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson's best-selling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent. A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France. As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as "Last Hope Island." Getting there, one young emigré declared, was "like getting to heaven." In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive "H7" monogram became a symbol of his country's resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible. Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans' heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans' reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations--gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe--that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion. A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson's bestselling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent. Advance praise for Last Hope Island"A rip-roaring saga of hairbreadth escape, espionage, and resistance during World War II, Lynne Olson's Last Hope Island salvages the forgotten stories of a collection of heroic souls from seven countries overrun by Hitler who find refuge in Churchill's London and then seek payback in ways large and small. In thrilling fashion, Olson shows us that hell hath no fury like a small country scorned."--Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake "Lynne Olson is a master storyteller, and she brings her great gifts to this riveting narrative of the resistance to Hitler's war machine. You will be thrilled and moved--and enraged, saddened, and shocked--by the courage and steadfastness, human waste and stupidity, carelessness and nobility, of an epic struggle. Last Hope Island is a smashing good tale."--Evan Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Being Nixon "A powerful and surprising account of how figures from Nazi-occupied Europe found Great Britain an essential shield and sword in the struggle against Hitler. This is a wonderful work of history, told in Olson's trademark style."--Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France. As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as “Last Hope Island.” Getting there, one young emigré declared, was “like getting to heaven.” In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive “H7” monogram became a symbol of his country’s resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible. Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans’ heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans’ reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations—gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe—that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion. A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson’s bestselling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent. Praise for Last Hope Island “In Last Hope Island [Lynne Olson] argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and the expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public alike recognize. . . . The scale of the organization she describes is breathtaking.” —The New York Times Book Review “ Last Hope Island is a book to be welcomed, both for the past it recovers and also, quite simply, for being such a pleasant tome to read.” — The Washington Post “[A] pointed volume . . . [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character.” — The Boston Globe PART ONE: FIGHTING ON 1. "MAJESTY, WE ARE AT WAR!" Hitler Invades Norway 2. "A BOLD AND NOBLE WOMAN" Holland Falls But Its Queen Escapes 3. "A COMPLETE AND UTTER SHAMBLES" The Collapse of Belgium and France 4. "WE SHALL CONQUER TOGETHER OR WE SHALL DIE TOGETHER" The European Exodus to Britain 5. "SOMETHING CALLED HEAVY WATER" The Rescue Mission That Changed the Course of the War 6. "THEY ARE BETTER THAN ANY OF US" The Triumph of Polish Pilots in the Battle of Britain 7. "MY GOD, THIS IS A LOVELY PLACE TO BE!" The Exhilaration of Wartime London 8. THIS IS LONDON CALLING" The BBC Brings Hope to Occupied Europe 9. "AN AVALANCHE OF V'S" The First Spark of European Resistance 10. SPYING ON THE NAZIS, Cracking Enigma and Other European Intelligence Coups 11. "A MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY" SOE and Its Struggle to Set Europe Ablaze 12. FACTIONS, FEUDS AND INFIGHTING, The Shock of Exile PART TWO: RULE OF THE TITANS 13. "RICH AND POOR RELATIONS" The European Allies' Fading Importance 14. "THE UGLY REALITY" The Soviet Threat to Poland and Czechoslovakia 15. "THE ENGLAND GAME" SOE's Dutch Disaster 16. "BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME" SOE's Debacle in France 17. "HEROISM BEYOND ANYTHING I CAN TELL YOU" Rescuing Allied Airmen 18. A GIANT JIGSAW PUZZLE, European Spies Prepare for D-Day 19. "A FORMIDABLE SECRET ARMY" The Resurrection of SOE 20. "THE POOR LITTLE ENGLISH DONKEY" Stalin and Roosevelt Flex Their Muscles 21. SETTLING THE SCORE, Europe's Liberation Begins 22. "A TALE OF TWO CITIES" Warsaw and Paris Rise Up 23. "I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU TOOK ME IN" Defeat at Arnhem 24. THE HUNGER WINTER Holland's Looming Destruction 25. "THERE WAS NEVER A HAPPIER DAY" Coming Home 26. "WHY ARE YOU CRYING, YOUNG MAN?" The West Turns Its Back on Poland and Czechoslovakia 27. "A COLLECTIVE FAULT" The Shadow of Collaboration 28. "THE WORLD COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE THE SAME" Planning for the Future 29. "MY COUNSEL TO EUROPE UNITE!" Postwar Europe Bands Together. An engrossing account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler. When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Czechoslovakia, and Poland who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self- appointed representative of free France. As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as Last Hope Island. In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history and restore order to a broken continent. "When the Nazi Blitzkrieg subjugated Europe in World War II, London became the safe haven for the leaders of seven occupied countries--France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Czechoslovakia and Poland--who fled there to avoid imprisonment and set up governments in exile to commandeer their resistance efforts. The lone hold-out against Hitler's offensive, Britain became a beacon of hope to the rest of Europe, as prominent European leaders like French general Charles De Gaulle, Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, and King Haakon of Norway competed for Winston Churchill's attention while trying to rule their embattled countries from the precarious safety of 'Last Hope Island'"--Provided by publsher. "When the Nazi Blitzkrieg subjugated Europe in World War II, London became the safe haven for the leaders of seven occupied countries--France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Czechoslovakia and Poland--who fled there to avoid imprisonment and set up governments in exile to commandeer their resistance efforts. The lone hold-out against Hitler's offensive, Britain became a beacon of hope to the rest of Europe, as prominent European leaders like French general Charles De Gaulle, Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, and King Haakon of Norway competed for Winston Churchill's attention while trying to rule their embattled countries from the precarious safety of 'Last Hope Island'"--Provided by publisher When the Nazi Blitzkrieg subjugated Europe in World War II, London became the safe haven for the leaders of seven occupied countries -- France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Czechoslovakia and Poland -- who fled there to avoid imprisonment and set up governments in exile to commandeer their resistance efforts. The lone hold-out against Hitler's offensive, Britain became a beacon of hope to the rest of Europe, as prominent European leaders like French general Charles De Gaulle, Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, and King Haakon of Norway competed for Winston Churchill's attention while trying to rule their embattled countries from the precarious safety of Last Hope Island