The Comet Connection: Escape from Hitler's Europe

American flyer Watt parachuted out of his burning bomber into Nazi-occupied Belgium. Assisted by selfless patriots who helped him elude the Gestapo, he began the treacherous journey to Spain, where his life was still in danger since he had fought against ruler General Franco in the Spanish Civil War six years earlier.

In 1943 American aviator Watt was shot down over Belgium with his crew, two of whom were killed. Aided by members of the Comet Line, an underground organization active in helping Allied military personnel in both Belgium and France, he made his way across France, doubly vulnerable because he was a Jew and an American. He reached Spain at great risk--he had fought with the Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War--eventually got to Gibraltar and was then taken back to England. The tale of Watt's odyssey is highly suspenseful, with an impact heightened by the account of his return to Belgium in 1984 and 1985 to visit those who had helped him escape--and learn of the bitter price paid by hundreds of members of the Comet Line.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This is one of those rare little narratives that engage the reader from the first page to the last. Shot down on a bombing mission over occupied Europe in November 1943 (on his 30th birthday), former gunner Watt parachuted out of a burning B-17 into Nazi-occupied Belgium. Belgian villagers hid him and put him in contact with the Comet Line, a branch of the resistance that guided downed airmen through a series of safe houses to southern France and then Spain. Watt was no stranger to Spain, having fought there in the Spanish Civil War as a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Watt includes details of the fate of the rest of his crew, an account of the brave members of the Comet Line, as well as the tragic fate of some villagers who helped him. This well-written book is more than a war story. It is about the human spirit and those willing to risk their lives for a stranger. Highly recommended for all libraries.
- George F. Scheck, Naval Underwater System Ctr. Lib., Newport, R . I .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.