the liberation line: the untold story of how american engineering and ingenuity won world war ii

The epic story of the engineers and rail workers who ensured Allied victory in World War Two, published to coincide with the eightieth anniversary of D-Day, by an award-winning expert on trains and transportation

They certainly were not soldiers, yet they suddenly found themselves in uniform, in a foreign land. But, as locomotive drivers, track-workers, conductors, porters, signalmen, and engine cleaners, they knew how to run trains. And their job was to bring them back to life.

The Liberation Line tells the thrilling story of the British and American railway engineers who, in the months after D-Day, worked around the clock and in great danger to rebuild the ravaged railways of Europe and keep the Allied forces fueled as they pushed on into Germany.  As territory was taken, these soldier-railroaders were close behind, rebuilding the lines, putting up telegraph wires, replacing bridges and laying track, all the while dodging bullets, shells, and booby traps.

Tales of extraordinary feats and heroism abound, including how 10,000 men rebuilt a 135-mile-long railway in just three days; the reconstruction of the bridge over the Seine in two weeks while under bombardment; and the use of cigarette lighters as improvised signaling systems. 

Despite being critical to Allied victory, the role of the railway men has been largely forgotten or ignored. In a vivid and gripping narrative, Christian Wolmar brings to life this colorful cast of generals and engineers, without whose extraordinary bravery the liberation of France and invasion of Germany might well have foundered--and the course of history changed.

Christian Wolmar is a British writer and broadcaster. He’s the author of 20 books, including a series of eight classic books of railway history. In 2021, Wolmar was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He has lectured several times at the online One Day University and has twice spoken at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, as well as at numerous other venues in the United States, including the Brookings Institution. His books have been widely translated into numerous languages including Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Mandarin. He’s based in the UK.