Trafford Publishing: Before the Fields of Crosses

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Before the Fields of Crosses

by Louis R. Fortier

248 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0409; ISBN 1-4120-0046-7; US$22.50, C$27.95, EUR18.20, £12.60

Before the Fields of Crosses pays tribute to a man who was credited with persuading the Germans to stop the bombing of Belgrade by the Bulgarian air force, thus saving many Serbian lives. The story is told by the U.S. military officer's son.

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About the Book

This is the story of a US military officer, as seen by his son, serving in Europe before and during World War II, with particular emphasis on the officer's heroic actions in stopping the bombing of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
During the onset of World War II, Fortier's father, a U.S. Army officer, was stationed first in Paris and then in the Balkans. As he gathered intelligence he was at first rebuffed at his efforts to get the War Department to recognize the validity of the intelligence he was sending back. However, after having predicted the opening day of the war (Invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939), the swift penetration of the Maginot Line by German mobile forces (1940), and finally determining the composition and fighting organization of a German Panzer Division from first hand observation (1941), he became a significant part of America's intelligence for the war.
In the course of these intelligence activities he was credited with persuading the Germans to stop the bombing of Belgrade by the Bulgarian air force, thus saving many Serbian lives. For these actions he was highly decorated by both the Yugoslavs and the U.S.
The book is authored by the officer's son, Louis Renshaw Fortier, who was with his father during much of these activities. Louis Renshaw Fortier gives his impressions of traveling to Europe and the reactions of himself and his sister to living in France and Yugoslavia during the build up years of World War II. The author also describes some of his mother's exploits in returning to Belgrade through war-ravaged Serbia after her train was bombed, and his own experience of being charged with the taking out of eight children of the Legation when dependents were ordered home.
The story begins with the background of the life of a junior military officer during the peacetime years, and family life during the inevitable travels from station to station. The son concludes with his descriptions of both his father's and his own experiences upon return from Yugoslavia (1941) throughout the remainder of the war (1945).
READER COMMENTS:
"Fields" - Comments
T. St. John Arnold - Colonel, USA (Ret); author of The Buffalo Soldiers, Austria; and World War II veteran of the Italian campaign. "Few people understand the Balkans and the strife of World War II prior to the American entry into the conflict. Through the use of historical summary, up-to-date key situation reports, and personal observation as a young teenager, the author has advanced greatly a layman's understanding of the events of that time, and with some humor details his father's fascinating career during it all. A different and exciting book."
Norman J. Anderson - Major General, USMC (Ret): "Ren Fortier has created a remarkable tale herewith, remarkable in many ways - in large part a family history, but also a valuable recording of America's pre-WWII intelligence in Europe. Before the Fields of Crosses is quick resounding reading bringing to light the essence of a long ago war; fascinating reading."
William J. Davis - Colonel, USMC (Ret); Executive Director of the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial, Norfolk, VA. "An important work revealing what little we understood of Jugoslavia and the German Army during World War II. The war covered the entire globe and the most famous figures have been studied and chronicled, but it was people like the author's father, a student of history and keen observer of the events around him, who could explain to our leaders what was really going on."
Mrs. Debbie Hague - History Teacher, First Colonial High School, Virginia Beach, VA. "This is the way history should be written and taught. The author of Before the Fields of Crosses has, in his forty page prologue, condensed and illuminated the progress of the war from its background in the thirties, through the successes of the Axis in the early forties, to the Allied victory by 1945. This is followed by a teenager's view of his father's exploits both in the Balkans and the German battlefield which is explicit, humorous, and factual. Concise and clear, it is almost like reading Cliff Notes on history. I am recommending it to every high school history teacher, and require all my students to read it."
Mrs. Price Kloess - Housewife, Mother of three teenage children:
"I found this book to be fascinating. Though I had a thorough education, my generation did not really study World War II with all its horror and future impact. This book gave me a "feel" for what life was like in Europe as the war clouds developed, and then factual information as the war unfolded. I believe it should be a basic text in history for all teenagers."
Ned Langhorne - Retired businessman and artilleryman of World War II:
"Having served as an artillery officer with the XII Corps and Third Army in France, Luxemburg, and Germany, I found Before the Fields of Crosses simply great reading. The book is very informative, historical and accurate.
The author has written a book that is very interesting to any artilleryman and easy reading - a real pleasure."
P. W. Parcells - Rear Admiral USN (Ret):
"Before the Fields of Crosses is an insightful and interesting history of the early stages and conduct of World War II that is told from a personal perspective. It is a "must read" for anyone interested in that era."
William A. Pogue - CEO Chicago Bridge Co.
"I was delighted with Before the Field of Crosses. I couldn't put it down and read it in one long sitting. A great read* The events and adventures of the author's father (and Mother) read like a James Bond movie. Incredible !!!"
Bill Reed - Review in The Beacon, August 7, 2003:
"Before the Fields of Crosses is a brief, fact-packed work that provides a glimpse of the elder Fortier's rise from a Tulane University Engineering student to respected U,S. Army intelligence and field artillery officer during Hitler's rise to power and eventual defeat. The author provides clear, concise "situation reports" outlining the military and political status of each major player in the World War II scenario."
Richard D. Roberts - Retired businessman:
"A great book. Really marvelous. Absolutely wonderful. Everyone should read it. Veterans of World War II will devour it."
Susan Strickland - Review in The Birmingham News, September 2003:
"The book is about Ren's true adventure as a teenager in Europe prior to World War II. He was 16 when he led seven children from Belgrade through several countries to Genoa where they arrived just in time to board the SS Washington, the last ship to leave Europe before the war."
Mrs. Clarence Willard - Retired, Wife of World War II veteran, Grandparent and Great-grandparent.
"Your book is terrific. I love the way you put it together and kept what was going on in all the countries simultaneously. This is the way to teach history. Loved your comments at the end . . . And I am just a female; just think how the men must love it. It should make a great present for everyone's grandfather. JOB WELL DONE."

About the Author

Louis Renshaw Fortier, born at Fort Stotsenburg, Phillippine Islands in 1924, was the son of a regular army officer. Until 1937 he led the traditional life that befalls an "Army brat". He travelled and changed of schools constantly. Then his father was assigned to the French War College in Paris, and later was the U.S. Military Attache to Yugoslavia - until forced out by the invading German forces.
Until 1940, when he was ordered to leave Belgrade, he and his youngest sister lived with their parents overseas during the critical political years that preceded the war. During the war he became a cadet at West Point, and himself served as a regular Army officer for another eleven years. Upon returning to civilian life, he founded the Teren Company which does leadership development for large corporations and was a frequent guest lecturer and consultant on management. He also served on several corporate and many charitable boards.
He and his wife raised five children before she was taken by cancer. He retired from commercial life and devoted his time to charitable service. Later he remarried and now splits his time between his home in Virginia and hers in Birmingham, Alabama.

Sample Excerpts

The book opens with a 40-page Preamble which is a condensed history of World War II. This treatise is broken down into the three phases of the War: 1936-1939 The build up to war; 1940-1941 The Axis successes; 1942-1945 The Allied Victory. For those not familiar with, or who have long since forgotten, the events that transpired during these ten years, this preamble serves as a background for the remainder of the story. Those familiar with the war are advised to skip the Preamble and go directly to the first chapter.
Each chapter is divided into three segments: a one page summary of the world-wide events of that year, followed by a report on the father's activities for that period, and closed by a report on the son's (author's) perceptions or activities for those dates.
For the period 1941 (May-Dec) the "Father" section begins as follows:
"When Dad returned to the Minister's house with Mother, Mr. Lane informed him that the Bulgarians were systematically bombing Belgrade even though it had been declared an open city. Apparently after the main German army had already passed through, their allies, the Bulgarians, had taken the opportunity to avenge themselves on the Serbs. (Even today Americans have a hard time trying to understand the ethnic and tribal hatreds that poison the Balkans). Much of Belgrade had already been flattened by the German army going through. The bombing appeared pointless and did nothing but kill a few Serbs.
The Diplomatic Corps decided that they had to act. Hence they had prepared a letter, signed by all the foreign ambassadors, to the German high command to request the cessation of the bombing. Mr. Lane apparently asked Dad how the letter might be delivered to the German Commander. Dad is alleged to have said to Mr. Lane: "That's easy. I have a price of 100000 marks on my head; let me take it, get captured, and I will be delivered to their top officer." Apparently the ambassadors debated that solution for some time and the Brazilian ambassador was so impressed with Dad*s courage that he later put him in for the Brazilian Medal of Honor.
With that Dad took the letter and began by driving through the war torn battlefield to try to reach a crossing into Romania or Hungary. (The German High Command for this battle was in Hungary). He had a remarkable three-day adventure. He decided to risk going through areas where artillery was falling as he could be reasonably sure that the infantry of either side would not be there; hence he could avoid being taken prisoner by low level units of either side. Finally his overworked Buick gave out. When he could no longer drive, he abandoned his car and walked, once again following the devastated area in which shells were still falling. ...."
An excerpt from the period 1940-Son deals with the author, age 15, taking the eight children of the American Legation out of Belgrade:
"... It was Dad's idea to send the children as a group, as he had seen the swarm of refugees that now flowed over all of Europe, and he had made the assessment that the one thing "authorities" hated to deal with was children. He was dead right. As the oldest I had been given the eight passports. Dad also gave me very strict instructions on how to be polite to, but not try to speak with, the various authorities I might meet. So the eight of us took off by train and had an uneventful trip until we reached, and were stopped at the Trieste border. The border authorities tried to talk with me in Serb, Croatian, Italian and French but all I could do was to act and be dumb (apparently it came naturally). The Yugoslav border patrol decided to dump us on the Trieste border group and so they passed us through. On the Trieste side they too passed us through and sent us on to their Italian border.
At the next checkpoint on the Trieste/Italian border, we ran into our first real problem. The Italian guards didn*t know what to do with us so they called their superiors. These authorities also did not know what to do and began by trying to tell me that my group would be put on a train headed back into Trieste. I pretended not to understand. Then the officials debated for about a half hour, and made numerous phone calls, but they finally decided to pass us on through and sent us to Rome. This was the one point where I got concerned. Finally we arrived in Genoa where we saw the wonderful sight of a huge ocean liner with lights playing on the big American flag painted on the hull. It was the SS Washington. We got off the train and went to the ship and were immediately taken aboard. Apparently the Captain had been alerted by the US Naval Attache that we would be taking the ship. I guess I should have been scared during this trip, but fifteen year olds can lick the world and somehow it never occurred to me to be frightened. After all, I had navigated the Paris Metro system: what could be more frightening that than?" ..

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