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On December 22, 1940, a former Manhattan housewife named Etta Kahn Shiber found herself in Hotel Matignon, headquarters of the Gestapo in Paris, sitting across from a “mousy” man in civilian...
Paris Underground is a memoir written by Etta Shiber in 1943. The book was later made into a film with the same name in 1945. The book discusses Ms. Shiber's experiences helping British pilots trapped behind enemy lines escape from Nazi Germany during World War II.
Before World War II had ended, a 65 year-old former Manhattan housewife by the name of Etta Shiber wrote a book entitled Paris Underground. It told the story of how she and others, including a friend identified as “Kitty Beaurepos”, helped almost 200 British soldiers escape from German-occupied France.
Etta Shiber (an American) recounts her days as a prisoner in France. When she moves into an apartment with her good friend Kitty (an Englishwoman who married a Frenchman), the two women find themselves in a predicament as German forces begin to overtake Paris.
- (354)
- Hardcover
- Etta Shiber
- Kitty
- The Germans
- Flight from Paris
- William Gray
- Missing Persons Ad
- Betrayed
- Prison and Certain Death
- The Exchange
- Post-War
Etta and her husband traveled to Paris every year for a three-month stay. While there in 1925, she met Kitty who was to become her best friend. Kitty Beaurepos, the daughter of a London banker, was an English society woman who married young. Moving to Italy, she and her husband had a son but shortly after, her first husband passed away and Kitty mo...
For three years, Kitty and Etta’s lifestyle was calm, happy, and without any acrimony. That is, until 1 September 1939 when the Nazis began dropping their bombs on Poland and invaded the country. England and France almost immediately declared war against Germany. Kitty tried to talk Etta into returning to America but she refused. The next day, the ...
As the Germans approached the city, almost everyone in Paris fled south or west. They went by car, bike, or foot pulling their belongings behind them. The narrow roads became so congested that going only a few feet would take hours. Within days, the Luftwaffe sent in fighters to strafe the refugees fleeing their city. Kitty and Etta followed everyo...
Paris had capitulated without a fight. The French government deserted the city for Bordeaux and declared Paris to be an “open” city. The Germans marched in without a shot being fired during the early morning of 14 June 1940. By the evening, the occupation forces had settled in. Kitty and Etta knew all about the recent events when they decided to st...
The women decided to go into the human smuggling business full time. They took out ads in the “Missing Persons” section of the German run newspaper Paris-Soirwhich read “William Gray, formerly of Dunkirk, is seeking his friends and relatives.” The ad attracted attention of Father Christian Ravier who, over time, supplied Etta and Kitty with soldier...
Five months after bringing William Gray to their apartment, Kitty and Etta were betrayed. On the morning of 26 November 1940, a Gestapo agent knocked on their door. Only Etta was home and she was immediately arrested (Kitty would often leave for extended periods of time to make transfer arrangements with the Resistance). Brought to the Hôtel Matign...
Etta was taken to the military prison, Cherche-Midi, where political prisoners were interred (the 120-year old prison located on Rue du Cherche-Midi was demolished in 1966). She was no longer Mrs. Etta Shiber but Prisoner Number 1876. After about two weeks, Etta was released but constantly followed by the Gestapo hoping she would lead them to Kitty...
The fourteen months in captivity since the trial were hard on Etta. She suffered from an irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and she had her first heart attack in February 1942. Her second attack came two months later. She dropped almost forty pounds but her smoking habit had been broken. Etta was released a second time and returned to Paris....
Etta returned to New York where she lived out her remaining years. She wrote about her experiences in Paris-Underground. Since the book was published in the middle of the war (1943), certain names were changed to protect her friends. Kitty was really Catherine (Kate) Bonnefous (nee Robins). Father Christian was an alias and his real name was never ...
Paris-Underground. November 1943 Issue. $2.50. By Etta Shiber. SCRIBNER. WITH a Paris apartment as the base of her operations, the author of this uncommon book was able to help, all told, more...
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Etta Shiber. Follow. Paris Underground Paperback – Sept. 20 2007. by Etta Shiber (Author) 4.7 69 ratings. See all formats and editions. This early work on wartime Europe is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. It details the history and individual experiences during World War II.
- Etta Shiber
