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A rediscovered classic of military history back in print for the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of World War II
When William B. Dreux parachuted into France in 1944, the OSS infantry officer had cinematic visions of blood-and-guts heroics, of leading the French Maquis resistance forces in daring missions to blow up key bridges and delay the German advance.
This isn’t the glamorized screen-ready account he expected; this is the real story. Dreux’s three-man OSS team landed behind enemy lines in France, in uniform, far from the targeted bridges. No Bridges Blown is a story of mistakes, failures, and survival, a story of volunteers and countrymen working together in the French countryside. The only book written by one of the Jedburghs about his wartime experiences, Dreux brings the history of World War II to life with stories of real people amidst a small section of the fighting in France. These people had reckless courage, little training, and faced impossible odds. This story will resonate with veterans and everyday citizens alike and it brings to life the realities of war on the ground in Nazi-occupied France.
“In the summer of 1944, as the Allies made brutally slow headway in liberating France, teams of paratroopers—including French officers—were dropped behind enemy lines to coordinate guerrilla operations with resistance leaders. . . . In No Bridges Blown, United States infantry officer William Dreux memorializes his riveting experiences on one of those teams in Brittany . . . Dreux’s beautifully rendered depiction . . . is unique and revelatory.” —Foreword Reviews
William B. Dreux (1911–1983) graduated from the University of Notre Dame and earned a law degree at Tulane University. After serving in WWII as a U.S. Army Infantry Officer assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), he co-founded the Jones Walker law firm in New Orleans.