Code to Victory -- Coming of Age in World War II [Paperback]

Arnold C Franco (Author), Paula Aselin Spellman (Author), Arnold C. Franco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 1998

Arnold Franco, a cryptanalyst during World War II, took a pledge of secrecy along with the other members of 3rd Radio Mobile Squadron (G), assigned to the 9th Air Force. Now, more than 50 years later, the government has declassified the documents pertaining to their work. The men of 3rd RSM acted as a "roving ear," listening to both the wireless and oral German radio transmissions. This "wireless" Intelligence, Diane Putney of the Office of Air Force History states, "has to this day remained hidden in the shadow of ULTRA high-grade signals Intelligence. . . ." Now the story is being told. Franco describes the war as a resolution of a giant drama:

Layer upon layer of scenes unfold -- stories that fit together as strategies were planned,

maneuvers executed, and alliances formed. Lives are changed because of brilliance, stupidity,

absurdity, and luck. . . . I was experiencing all of it.
Franco experienced "the smell of the grease, the roar of the bomb." Three weeks after D-Day, his Detachment landed at Normandy.

I had my first view of the Daliesque beachhead in full sun. I was aghast. . . . Fear gnawed at our

guts. We wondered what catastrophe had taken place, and into what we were heading.
Life, for Franco, at this time "seemed to divide itself into two worlds -- war and wonder."

My connection was inescapable. . . . As the war progressed, persecution of the Jews moved

from theory to reality in my world. . . .
What Franco saw was that Hitler was real. The Holocaust was real. His "coming of age" in World War II was complete. "Each day," he states, "I can more fully appreciate how fortunate I was to have not only survived the war, but survived intact."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arnold Clement Franco was called to World War II duty in March 1943. After initial training, he was sent to Michigan State University for German-language instruction, then to Vint Hills Farm Station Signal Intelligence Headquarters code-breaking school, secluded away at Warrenton, Virginia. In April 1944 Franco went to England, assigned to the 9th Air Force. Trained by British officers, he learned how to intercept and break "in-the-moment" coded messages sent by German pilots.

Code to Victory tells of Franco's experiences as a World War II cryptanalyst and of his unit, the 3rd Radio Mobile Squadron (G). Franco has spent years researching and publicizing the story of 3rd RSM and, because of the resurgence of neo-Nazism which denies the existence of the Holocaust, has established a scholarship fund at his alma mater, Queens College, New York, to support the study and evaluation of historical evidence.

Franco is one of the first "non-flyboys" to be elected to the Board of the 9th Air Force Association. He is the founder of Franco & Son, Inc., an international insurance brokerage firm in Manhattan, New York.

Paula Aselin Spellman, an award-winning humor and nonfiction writer from Ojai, California, has condensed the many written pages and notes of Arnold Franco's recollections and research, and has interwoven them with interviews and many long-distance conversations. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Spellman and her work are recognized as one of Two Thousand Notable Women.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Sunflower University Press (October 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897452321
• ISBN-13: 978-0897452328
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,348,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A model of what reminiscences should be., May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Code to Victory -- Coming of Age in World War II (Paperback)

This volume of memoirs is a model of what reminiscences should be: the book makes fascinating reading, reflecting also excellent cooperation between the author and editor. Their combined efforts led to a work that reads like fiction but projects the reality of the war well. The book is enhanced by numerous illustrations, contemporary photos and maps, is well indexed (by Lori L. Daniel), and is further enriched by relevant poetry. The fascinating volume reveals the role of radio intelligence, the work of the American code breakers (cryptanalysts) that were listening to the radio traffic of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Code breaker Arnold Clement Franco was a member of the 3rd Radio Mobile Squadron (G). Its mission was to intercept German radio messages sent by Luftwaffe personnel on the ground and in the air, and, when necessary, to break code messages. This intelligence was transmitted to the headquaters of Ninth Air Force, the tactical arm of American air power in the European Theater of War. The work of the cryptanalysts was so effective and significant that for a time their intelligence was sent directly to SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force). The author provides new insights into the history of World War II's European Theater of War, and presents persuasive evidence that the American exposure at the Battle of the Bulge (1944) was attributable not to failure of intelligence but to SHAEF's failure to act on the intelligence they were provided from radio cryptanalysts. This slim paperback volume is both an account of little-known aspects of the role of radio intelligence in World War II and, as the subtitle indicates, a retrospective insight of the impact of the war on a young soldier's life and attitudes: Franco saw himself in a new perspective and gained a new awareness of his Jewish origins. This book is an "easy read" and "must read" for persons interested in the drama of World War II.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definite re-read., March 20, 2000

By 

Paula Spellman (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Code to Victory -- Coming of Age in World War II (Paperback)

Any book that quotes Keats, Browning and Kipling gets my interest but a chapter that starts with "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm ..." has my total and undivided attention!

I enjoyed the book very much. Your research and documentation were, obviously, superb and it must have been a happy day for you to meet Paula Spellman who gave all of your data such spirit and feeling that the reader felt as if they were truly sharing that environment with you. It gave a great insight into your experience as a crypt- analyst and as a participant in the European Theatre in World War II. I will always enjoy reading it again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A blending of reminiscence and humor., March 20, 2000

By 

Paula Spellman (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Code to Victory -- Coming of Age in World War II (Paperback)

The book blends reminiscence and humour, mixed with the darker side of war. I could not help but laugh out loud at the decription of Major Silverstein's shooting of Colonel Turkel, especially the latter's account of the Doctors' reaction. "Wounded in Belgium" will now have a whole new connotation.