Operation Pimento
My Great-Grandfather's Great Escape
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton
Publishing:5th Jun '25
£22.00
This title is due to be published on 5th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
On 14 August 1943, Adam Hart's great-grandfather Frank Griffiths took off from RAF Tempsford, the SOE 'Special Duties' airbase in rural England. Frank and his crew were on a secret midnight mission codenamed Operation Pimento, but they were shot down near Annecy in southeast France.
Only Frank survived.
Though seriously injured, Frank felt it was his duty to get back to England to continue the fight against the Nazis. He embarked on a perilous, 1,200-mile, 108-day escape across Europe, via the attic of a brothel, a Frenchwoman's chimney and a Spanish prison cell. Seventy-nine years later, Frank's 22-year-old great-grandson Adam Hart retraced the epic escape through France, Switzerland and Spain. His emotional encounters with descendants of people who'd risked their lives to help his great-grandfather reveal the enduring legacy of Operation Pimento and how we should never forget their sacrifice.
Operation Pimento is not only a riveting true story, but also a vivid account of one young man's journey to discover more about a man he'd never met, but always knew to be a hero.
A thrilling tale of courage, bravery and survival, brought to life by Hart's gripping narrative and fascinating personal connection. A superb debut. -- Alice Loxton
Frank Griffiths' incredible escape and evasion story will become a wartime classic. This is a unique book because Frank's outstanding deeds are only part of the story. We also follow the writer's own emotional journey through Europe as he follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather and discovers the incredible bravery of those who risked their lives to help Frank escape. Truly inspiring. -- Andy McNab
ISBN: 9781399740135
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
272 pages