Gentleman Spy

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Prime Minister Winston Churchill created the SOE (Special Operations Executive) to "set Europe ablaze" as he said, by working with resistance groups in Nazi-occupied countries in Europeespecially in France. Count Robert De La Rochefoucauld's memoir of wartime service in the French Resistance and work with the British told of extraordinary exploits of courage and espionage. After receiving commando, explosives, and sabotage training in Britain, De La Rouchefoucald parachuted twice into occupied France to combat the Nazis. During his resistance work he was captured on two occasions and successfully escaped from his execution. He was also known for his eclectic use of tools of espionage and escape including explosives hidden in loaves of bread, a stolen Nazi limousine, a nun's habit, and a bicycle. His story is a remarkable account of ingenuity, endurance, and survival.