Paddy Ashdown

As the Allied troops stormed the D-Day beaches, the Vercors rose up to fight in a planned rearguard action. It was to prove not only the largest Resistance action of the war but also the most brutal crushing of resistance forces in Western Europe. The tragedy placed the Vercors deep into the history of modern France which resonates still in the country’s daily life and politics.

The story of a lethal spy triangle with three men at its centre – a ruthless British secret agent, a Gestapo counter-espionage officer and a French Resistance leader. From 1942 until 1944 these three enemies were drawn into a cat and mouse 'game' of espionage and counter espionage in occupied France.

Paddy Ashdown has been, in turn, an officer in the Royal Marine Commandos, a member of the Special Boat Service, a diplomat, an MP and leader of the Liberal Democrats, and an international peacemaker in war-torn Bosnia. This is his autobiography.