Thousands upon thousands of brave young airmen lost their lives.  Thousands more ended up behind barbed wire as prisoners of war.  Their remarkable courage and determination despite heavy odds drove the Germans from their own skies in time for the D-Day invasion.  Less than a year later, our all-conquering ground troops forced Germany’s unconditional surrender, ending World War II in Europe.

I shall always remember my gallant comrades of the Mighty Eighth.  Their sacrifices must never be forgotten by a grateful nation. That’s why I wrote this book.

B-24s fly through flak on a bombing raid over Germany

The winter I spent in Stalag Luft 1 was Germany’s worst in 50 years.

Though made partly out of sawdust (honest!), the “Fartbrot” was better than starving.