Women of Valor

Women in an armored division! General Leclerc had never heard of such a thing. But if he wanted the 19 brand-new ambulances, he would have to take their women drivers too. Known as the Rochambelles, their courage won the admiration of their comrades and changed many minds. These women learned to drive through mortar fire, to pull men from burning tanks, to stanch blood and ease pain. Above all, they learned that no matter who was doing the shooting, the greater enemy was hatred. Only three of the fifty-one women who served in the group published a memoir, and their stories have been all but lost. This book, newly revised and updated, reveals their daring and accomplishments, from Normandy to Berchtesgaden.

Ellen Hampton is an author, historian and former lecturer in history at Sciences Po, based in Paris, France. She has written articles, books and documentary film scripts on the two world wars.

Ellen Hampton

Foreword by Lt. Gen. Kathleen M. Gainey, U.S. Army (ret.)

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 209
Bibliographic Info: 31 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8453-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4276-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix
Foreword 1
Introduction 5
One. A New York Exile 11
Two. Desert Transitions 28
Three. Fear and the Back Roads of the Bocage 56
Four. City of Light Rekindled 79
Five. Romance, the River and a Few Close Calls 99
Six. A Warm Kitchen and a Cold Cellar 124
Seven. Grussenheim: The End of Winter 145
Eight. Expectations and Surrender 155
Epilogue: Coming Home Is the Hardest Part 164
Appendix I: The Rochambelles 179
Appendix II: Toto’s Rules of Rochambelle Order 183
Appendix III: Timeline of Events 187
Chapter Notes 189
Bibliography 193
Index 195