The Flying Interpreter
With the 72nd American Liaison Squadron, FRANCE–GERMANY, 1944–1945
Order your copy now.
**New Release 2026** Available for the first time in English, Interprète Volant tells an excellent story of valor and human mettle. The author journals the 72nd Liaison Squadron’s march during the Rhineland Campaign in WWII. A superior tale that hits on the subject of Liaison Aircraft, notably the Stinson L-5. Moreover, it depicts themes of redemption, duty and civilization.
Originally written in French, this English translation tells the story of Jean Ably who, on September 9, 1944, became an interpreter for the 72nd Liaison Squadron of the U.S. Seventh Army. From a notebook kept during his time with the squadron, Ably reconstructs the daily routines of traveling with his American airmen companions. A unique experience told by a young Frenchman engaged in the pushing back of German forces during WWII, to recapture his country.
Once the contentious border is crossed at the Saar River, Ably, also German speaking, sounds out the hearts of the civilian population faced with imminent defeat. In fact, their adherence to the National Socialist Party remains a central theme of the narrative. Ably evokes the general decay into which Germany had plunged. On May 10, 1945, he had the opportunity to see Goering briefly. He eloquently described the former Reichsmarschall as a “sheepish monster.”
Interspersed throughout the book are the exploits of the pilots of the squadron who fly in unarmed aircraft performing observation, light transport duties, and medical evacuation. The Stinson L-5 Sentinel aircraft assigned to the squadron were among the smallest and lightest of warbirds. Most noted for their short landing field capabilities, they rightly earned the nickname “Flying Jeep.”
After nine months of service, Ably is returned to the airport of Eybens, France, near Grenoble, the very place he first joined with the American army. His descriptions of the region are versed with personal aesthetic and amor for the place he fondly called home.
Interprète Volant is an excellent literary work released originally in French and printed in numbered quantity in 1946. A rare, must read… now available in English!
PDF book format includes 151 pages, with photos, both original and appended, plus glossary and maps.