Silent heroes

"Under the shadow of Nazi occupation, ordinary men and women leading apparently quiet lives as doctors, farmers, housewives, priests, and teachers engaged in spy thriller adventures to save the Allied airmen raining down among them. French and Belgian patriots, usually without aid or training, created elaborate escape lines that enabled thousands of Allied airmen to evade enemy capture. Known simply as "helpers," these men and women organized prison breakouts, seaside evacuations, and parachute drops as well as provided food, shelter, and traveling papers for the men in their care. All this…