Operation Pimento
On sale
4th June 2026
Price: £12.99
August 1943: Adam Hart’s great-grandfather Frank Griffiths is the only survivor of Operation Pimento, a secret World War 2 mission to disrupt supply lines from Italy into Nazi-occupied France.
Though seriously injured, Frank embarks on a perilous, 1,200-mile, 108-day escape across France, Switzerland and Spain.
August 2022: Adam Hart retraces his great-grandfather’s epic journey, meeting descendants of people who’d risked their lives to help Frank, while learning much about his own powers of endurance.
Acclaimed by Andy McNab as ‘A wartime classic’, Operation Pimento is a vivid account of a young man’s quest to discover more about a man he’d never met but always knew to be a hero.
Though seriously injured, Frank embarks on a perilous, 1,200-mile, 108-day escape across France, Switzerland and Spain.
August 2022: Adam Hart retraces his great-grandfather’s epic journey, meeting descendants of people who’d risked their lives to help Frank, while learning much about his own powers of endurance.
Acclaimed by Andy McNab as ‘A wartime classic’, Operation Pimento is a vivid account of a young man’s quest to discover more about a man he’d never met but always knew to be a hero.
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Reviews
A thrilling tale of courage, bravery and survival, brought to life by Hart's gripping narrative and fascinating personal connection. A superb debut.
Frank Griffiths' incredible escape and evasion story will become a wartime classic. This is a unique book because Frank's outstanding deeds are only part of the story. We also follow the writer's own emotional journey through Europe as he follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather and discovers the incredible bravery of those who risked their lives to help Frank escape. Truly inspiring.
This moving family history pays fitting tribute to the courage and resilience of the Special Duties Squadrons' crews, and the heroism of the French resisters serving alongside them.
An affectionate and often audacious tale of an unsung WW2 hero, told by his great grandson. Adam Hart is a writer to watch out for.
A wonderfully evocative tale of one man's escape from occupied Europe and the countless people who helped along the way, their extraordinary courage and sacrifice brought movingly to life across the generations by the author retracing his great-grandfather's footsteps to freedom.
A classic tale of Second World War derring-do, told with flair. A wonderful debut.
The writer's command of tension is on full display. Chapters break off at the opportune (read: most frustrating) moments to leave us hankering to find out how the Welsh airman gets out of the latest hair-raising situation he's found himself in. And then, just as we've settled into Hart's charming travelogue, back we go to his great-grandfather's escape.
There are touches of the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo, such as the attic above the brothel, but for the most part it reflects the deadlier drama Secret Army... This is an inspiring story, warmly told as a travelogue.