Women of valor : the Rochambelles on the WWII front

Army leaders declared women had no business in an armored division on the perilous European front of World War II—until the Rochambelles proved them wrong Library Journal Journalist Hampton breathes new life into the little-known story of the Rochambeau Group, made up of women ambulance drivers attached to French forces in the latter part of World War II. This group was organized by Florence Conrad, a determined, wealthy American widow and Francophile who had served as a nurse in World War I. Collecting enough donations for 19 ambulances and recruiting mainly French women who had fled from German occupiers, Conrad approached Gen. Philippe Leclerc of the French 2nd Armored Division with the donation, insisting that the women be the ambulance drivers. Figuring 19 ambulances were better than none, Leclerc relented, believing the women would flee at the first sign of battle and then could be replaced with "proper male drivers." For her intriguing account of the 51 ambulance drivers who proved Leclerc wrong and served with the division from Normandy to Berchestgarden, Hampton used published and unpublished memoirs as well as interviewing surviving members. A captivating read; highly recommended for public libraries.-Patti C. McCall, Albany Molecular Research Inc., NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. Women of Valor tells the extraordinary story of the Rochambelles, the only women's unit to serve on the front lines of World War II. Some of them had been proper young ladies stranded abroad by the German invasion of France; others had scaled the Pyrnes by night to escape the Nazi occupation. All of them had a deep desire to help liberate their nation, and if they couldn't fight, driving an ambulance would have to do. Organized in New York by a wealthy American widow determined to create an all-female ambulance corps, they served with unflinching courage--saving soldiers from burning camps, dodging bombs, bullets, and mines, and even talking their way out of German hands. With colorful, brave characters and fierce battle scenes, Women of Valor is both a gripping and delightful read. A history of the Rochambelles describes how a group of determined young women, some stranded by the German invasion of France or others who had fled the Nazi occupation, played an important role as an all-female ambulance corps in World War Two.