Ken Follett, Jackdaws

This is one of the first Ken Follett books I have read, though certainly not the first book I've picked up that is set in World War Two. Follett brings us into the world of the French resistance and and Allied espionage in the period of the German occupation of France leading up to D-day. Even as the Allied forces were preparing for a major assaut on the German forces, British and American personell were coordiating with members of the french underground to disrupt German activities and communicatikons in preparation for the coming attacks. In this book, Follett brings the reader into this world of danger and deception. We are introduced to Flick, a British agent that leads a team of British "operatives" behind enemy lines, and also to Deiter and some of her other German opposition. The British have chosen an important telephone and communications exchange post in a small town in Germany as an important target in the time leading up to the D-day raids. The French underground has made one attempt already, but was defeated by a superior German defense force at the castle housing the exchange. Now, the British have found a way to get a team in—send in a group of women who can pose as cleaners, to attack the post and disable the lines of communication. But there's not much time, and the group must be all women. So a group of varying quality is assembled from among the available agents, or even aquaintances of agents. This group of women quickly train for the important raid, and are parachuted in. The Germans, meanwhile, have got wind of the operation from a captured member of the underground, and are waiting for Flick and her group, but they manage to put down at a different airfield, and make their way to the communication exchange. Despite some unexpected challenges and some good detective work by the German officer, the ladies manage to deliver the devastating blow to the Germans and disable the exchange.

Follett's book is a good one. He delivers good action in an interesting historical setting, but also takes you into the lives of the people involved, on both sides. The personal and interpersonal struggles are what bring the book to life. It makes for a good read.