The War We Won Apart: The Untold Story of Two Elite Agents who Became One of the Most Decorated Couples of WWII

(Hardback)

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On opposite sides of the pond, Sonia Butt, an adventurous young British woman, and Guy d'Artois, a French-Canadian soldier and thunderstorm of a man, are preparing for war. From different worlds, their lives first intersect during clandestine training to become agents with Winston Churchill's secret army, the Special Operations Executive. As the world's deadliest conflict to date unfolds, Sonia and Guy learn how to parachute into enemy territory, how to kill, blow up rail lines, and eventually . . . how to love each other. But not long after their hasty marriage, their love is tested by separation, by a titanic invasion-and by indiscretion. Writing in vivid, heart-stopping prose, Ayed follows Sonia as she plunges into Nazi-occupied France and slinks into black market restaurants to throw off occupying Nazi forces, while at the same time participating in sabotage operations against them; and as Guy, in another corner of France, trains hundreds into a resistance army. Reconstructed from hours of unpublished interviews and hundreds of archival and personal documents, the story Ayed tells is about the ravaging costs of war paid for disproportionately by the young. But more than anything, The War We Won Apart is a story about love- two secret agents who were supposed to land in enemy territory together, but were fated to fight the war apart. Love, betrayal, and a secret war- the untold story of two elite agents, one Canadian, one British, who became one of the most decorated wartime couples of WWII. On opposite sides of the pond, Sonia Butt, an adventurous young British woman, and Guy d'Artois, a French-Canadian soldier and thunderstorm of a man, are preparing to go to war. From different worlds, they make their way to fight in Winston Churchill's secret army against the German forces and, unlike most involved in the world's deadliest conflict to date, to fight from behind enemy lines. Their lives first intersect during clandestine training to become agents with the Special Operations Executive. Sonia and Guy learn how to parachute into enemy territory, how to kill, blow up rail lines, support the French resistance, and eventually...how to love each other. But not long after their hasty marriage, their love is tested by separation, by a titanic invasion-and by indiscretion. Written in vivid, heart stopping prose, we follow their stories of uncommon courage-as Sonia plunges into Nazi-occupied France and slinks into black market restaurants to throw off German forces who knew she'd arrived, while at the same time participating in sabotage operations against them by night; and as Guy, in another corner of France, trains hundreds into a resistance army, fashioning himself a military leader, weapons instructor, and peacemaker all at once. Reconstructed from hours of unpublished interviews and hundreds of archival and personal documents, Ayed tells a story of sacrifice and youthful folly; a story about the ravaging costs of war paid for disproportionately by the young. But more than anything, The War We Won Apart is a story about love- two secret agents who were supposed to land in enemy territory together, but were fated to fight the war apart.

Reviews

A touching account of a remarkable young Canadian couple parachuted into occupied France to help the partisans: this is both a love story and a stirring tale about courage and selflessness all the more remarkable for having been kept so long a secret. Caroline Moorehead, bestselling author of A Train in Winter

This compelling account of two secret agents parachuted into France on the eve of D-Day is a veritable page turner. Young, energetic, and just married, Sonia and Guy dArtois were forced to fight apart, and each performed courageously in the field. But their separation came at a price, and Nahlah Ayed brilliantlyand with great sensitivitycaptures the demands this placed on their relationship, both then and for the rest of their lives. Thoroughly researched and well-informed, this is a human story that lingers long in the mind. David Stafford, author of Ten Days to D-Day and Secret Agent: The True Story of the Special Operations Executive

Author Bio

NAHLAH AYED is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and currently producer and host of CBCs Ideas. For two decades, Ayed worked in hot zones around the globefrom the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to Russias annexation of Crimea. Her first book, A Thousand Farewells, was a finalist for the 2012 Governor Generals Literary Awards.