“Occupied France,” analyzes the realities and myths about everyday life in France under German occupation. The French did not actively resist the occupation until 1943–1944. The chapter attempts to explain the unique character of the villagers of Graignes and why they refused to countenance the presence of Germans in their region. The villagers dismissively referred to the Germans as the Boches. The chapter concludes by examining the training and organization of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division, which appeared in south-central France in 1943.

“Escape, Exile, and Annihilation,” details how, between 12 and 16 June 1944, about 110 paratroopers, with the vital help of villagers, escaped Graignes and returned to combat in Normandy. Captain Brummitt and Lt. Francis Naughton led the main group to safety. The Rigault family saved the lives of twenty-one paratroopers, hiding them for three days in the family barn. The Rigault daughters, Odette and Marthe, were especially prominent in the rescue mission. The Germans punished the villagers by forcing them to abandon their village in the summer of 1944. The chapter speaks of the perilous journey that the villagers endured. Finally, the chapter explores the fate of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division in the summer of 1944. Allied forces destroyed the division, leaving only a handful of the German soldiers alive.