Escaping Soldiers And Airmen Of World War I

Author : Martin W. Bowman
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
Page : 508 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2017-08-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473863248

Get Book

Escaping Soldiers and Airmen of World War I by Martin W. Bowman Pdf

This thrilling new volume from Martin Bowman focusses on British, Canadian, Australian and German soldiers and airmen who were captured during the First World War. Determined that they wouldnt spend the rest of the conflict incarcerated uselessly behind bars, they endeavored to escape. These are their stories.All aspects of prison life are covered here, and the author examines the various escape tactics that were employed by British soldiers and airmen held in PoW camps all over Germany and Turkey. In order to provide a balanced account, the author has also uncovered stories of German navy and army escapees who attempted to flee from England.Each chapter is preceded by an account which explains the types of camps used in Britain and Germany, the numbers involved, the food, the camp money system for worker prisoners and a general appreciation of the conditions and chronology. Firsthand accounts from the prisoners themselves are then woven into the picture, creating an authentic sense of the PoW experience.The emphasis of this unique book is placed on the human story of the main characters, the unparalleled action on the Western Front and the interaction and camaraderie experienced between soldiers and airmen held in prison camps in England, Germany and Turkey during the Second World War.

Author : Martin W. Bowman
Publisher : Pen and Sword Aviation
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2017
Category : Escaped prisoners of war
ISBN : 1473863228

Get Book

Voices in Flight by Martin W. Bowman Pdf

This thrilling new volume from Martin Bowman focusses on British, Canadian, Australian and German soldiers and airmen who were captured during the First World War. Determined that they wouldn't spend the rest of the conflict incarcerated uselessly behind bars, they endeavored to escape. These are their stories. All aspects of prison life are covered here, and the author examines the various escape tactics that were employed by British soldiers and airmen held in PoW camps all over Germany and Turkey. In order to provide a balanced account, the author has also uncovered stories of German navy and army escapees who attempted to flee from England. Each chapter is preceded by an account which explains the types of camps used in Britain and Germany, the numbers involved, the food, the camp money system for worker prisoners and a general appreciation of the conditions and chronology. Firsthand accounts from the prisoners themselves are then woven into the picture, creating an authentic sense of the PoW experience. The emphasis of this unique book is placed on the human story of the main characters, the unparalleled action on the Western Front and the interaction and camaraderie experienced between soldiers and airmen held in prison camps in England, Germany and Turkey during the Second World War.

Author : Sherri Greene Ottis
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2014-07-11
Category : History
ISBN : 9780813147987

Get Book

Silent Heroes by Sherri Greene Ottis Pdf

In the early years of World War II, it was an amazing feat for an Allied airman shot down over occupied Europe to make it back to England. By 1943, however, pilots and crewmembers, supplied with "escape kits," knew they had a 50 percent chance of evading capture and returning home. An estimated 12,000 French civilians helped make this possible. More than 5,000 airmen, many of them American, successfully traveled along escape lines organized much like those of the U.S. Underground Railroad, using secret codes and stopping in safe houses. If caught, they risked internment in a POW camp. But the French, Belgian, and Dutch civilians who aided them risked torture and even death. Sherri Ottis writes candidly about the pilots and crewmen who walked out of occupied Europe, as well as the British intelligence agency in charge of Escape and Evasion. But her main focus is on the helpers, those patriots who have been all but ignored in English-language books and journals. To research their stories, Ottis hiked the Pyrenees and interviewed many of the survivors. She tells of the extreme difficulty they had in avoiding Nazi infiltration by double agents; of their creativity in hiding evaders in their homes, sometimes in the midst of unexpected searches; of their generosity in sharing their meager food supplies during wartime; and of their unflagging spirit and courage in the face of a war fought on a very personal level.

Author : Michael Lee Lanning
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2021-10
Category : History
ISBN : 0811739740

Get Book

The Blister Club by Michael Lee Lanning Pdf

Michael Lee Lanning tells the story of the courageous airmen who evaded capture and escaped to safety after being shot from the skies during World War II. Lanning covers the hows and whys of escape-and-evasion and aerial combat in the European theater, but also vividly captures the stories of the airmen who did the escaping and evading.

Author : Gerald Featherstone Knight
Publisher : DigiCat
Page : 105 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2022-09-04
Category : Fiction
ISBN : EAN:8596547222774

Get Book

"Brother Bosch", an Airman's Escape from Germany by Gerald Featherstone Knight Pdf

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of ""Brother Bosch", an Airman's Escape from Germany" by Gerald Featherstone Knight. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Author : Bryn Evans
Publisher : Pen and Sword Aviation
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2024-05-30
Category : History
ISBN : 1399004689

Get Book

Airmen's Incredible Escapes by Bryn Evans Pdf

Allied air power made a major, arguably decisive, contribution to victory in The Second World War both in the European and Pacific theaters. The cost in men and machines was horrific with Bomber Command suffering 50% air crew casualties. While many perished, others shot down over enemy territory or water survived only after overcoming extraordinary danger and hardship. Their experiences often remained untold not just for the duration of the War but for many years. The author has gathered together a wealth of unpublished stories from airmen of many nationalities, be they British, Commonwealth or American. Some involve avoiding or escaping from capture, others surviving against all the odds, braving extreme elements and defying death from wounds, drowning or starvation. Importantly the accounts of those who survived the battle in the skies cheating the enemy and the grim reaper give the reader a chilling insight into the fate of the many thousands of brave young men who were not so fortunate. The result is an inspiring and gripping read which bears testimony to human courage and resilience.

Author : Harvey E. Gann
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : History
ISBN : WISC:89062200878

Get Book

Escape I Must! by Harvey E. Gann Pdf

Author : Michael Lee Lanning
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 365 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2021-10-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780811769723

Get Book

The Blister Club by Michael Lee Lanning Pdf

During World War II, some 10,000 American bombers and fighters were shot down over Europe. Of the crews aboard, 26,000 men were killed, while 30,000 survived being shot down only to be captured and made prisoners of war. Against the longest of odds, nearly 3,000 airmen made it to the ground alive, evaded capture, and escaped to safety. These men proudly called themselves the Blister Club. Drawing on tens of thousands of pages of mostly untapped documents in the National Archives, Michael Lee Lanning tells the story of these courageous airmen. They had received escape-and-evasion (E & E) training, and some were lucky enough to land with their E-&-E kits—but all bets were off once they hit the ground. They landed after an air catastrophe. The geography was usually unfamiliar. Civilians might or might not be trustworthy. German soldiers and Gestapo agents hunted down airmen as well as civilians who dared help them. If an airman abandoned his uniform for civilian garb, he forfeited Geneva Convention protections. Most faced the daunting task of escaping on foot across hundreds of miles. The fortunate connected with one of the established escape routes to Spain or Switzerland or across the English Channel, or they hooked up with the underground resistance or friendly civilians. Upon return to friendly lines, these men were often able to provide valuable intelligence about enemy troop dispositions and civilian morale. Many volunteered to fly again even though regulations prohibited it. The Blister Club is history with a punch. With a historian’s eye, Lanning covers the hows and whys of escape-and-evasion and aerial combat in the European theater, but the book also vividly captures the stories of the airmen who did the escaping and evading, including that of a young pilot named Chuck Yeager, who, during his own escape, aided the French Resistance and helped another downed airman to safety—and then begged to fly again, eventually securing Eisenhower’s approval to return to the air, where he achieved ace status. Stories of escape are popular, especially those set during World War II, as are stories of the war in the air. Combining both of these, The Blister Club should find an enthusiastic audience.

Author : Col. Robert Barr Smith,Laurence J. Yadon
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2016-10-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781493026630

Get Book

Greatest Escapes of World War II by Col. Robert Barr Smith,Laurence J. Yadon Pdf

Throughout WWII, thousands of Allied prisoners dreamed of outwitting their captors and returning to war against the Axis. Their ingenuity knew no bounds: they went over the barbed wire surrounding them and under it as well; they built tunnels of enormous length and complexity, often working with only their bare hands. They concealed themselves in their captors’ vehicles and hitched rides to freedom. They became world-class forgers and tailors; they stole anything that might be useful to their escapes that wasn’t actually red-hot or nailed down. Some of them made it to freedom; some did not. Many of those who failed simply tried again and again until they succeeded. Some of the escapers who were caught were murdered by the Japanese or the German Gestapo. That did not stop others from risking torture or death to gain their freedom. Many men whose break was initially successful would not have survived save for the dangerous, selfless help of civilians, especially in occupied Europe and the Philippine Islands. The stories in The Greatest Escapes of WWII highlight the courage, endurance, and ingenuity of Allied prisoners, chronicling their ceaseless efforts and the alarm that spread far and wide when one or more escaped. These escapes tied up thousands of Axis soldiers who might otherwise have prolonged the war for many more bloody months. The troops committed to guard the Allied prisoners and recapture escapers numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

Author : Gerald Featherstone Knight
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 182 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2014-05-21
Category : History
ISBN : 1473313023

Get Book

Brother Bosch', an Airman's Escape from Germany (WWI Centenary Series) by Gerald Featherstone Knight Pdf

This early work by Gerald Featherstone Knight was originally published in 1919 and we are now republishing it as part of our WWI Centenary Series. ''Brother Bosch', an Airman's Escape from Germany' is a memoir written by a member of the Royal Flying Corps who was taken prisoner by German forces. During his nine months in prison, he made three escape attempts, the last of which was successful. He was awarded the Military Cross Posthumously after his death in 1919. This book is part of the World War One Centenary series; creating, collating and reprinting new and old works of poetry, fiction, autobiography and analysis. The series forms a commemorative tribute to mark the passing of one of the world's bloodiest wars, offering new perspectives on this tragic yet fascinating period of human history. Each publication also includes brand new introductory essays and a timeline to help the reader place the work in its historical context.

Author : Matt Doeden
Publisher : Lerner Publications ™
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2018-08-01
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781541536098

Get Book

World War II Escapes and Rescues by Matt Doeden Pdf

Many daring escapes and rescues took place during World War II. Troops often faced harrowing conditions, including being captured by the enemy and getting lost at sea. Find out how they escaped these dire situations.

Author : John Nichol,Tony Rennell
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 629 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2007-03-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9780141901237

Get Book

Home Run by John Nichol,Tony Rennell Pdf

Throughout the Second World War, thousands found themselves cut off behind the lines in Nazi-occupied Europe — soldiers were left stranded on beaches after the chaotic evacuation of Dunkirk, airmen flying operations against the Germans were blasted out of the sky by flak and fighters. They were alone and on the run in enemy territory with just one goal — to get back to Britain and to safety. Some made solitary treks through hundreds of miles of enemy territory, others attempted precarious sea crossings in stolen boats. Many placed their lives in the hands of brave civilians who risked the wrath of a brutal regime if they dared to offer assistance. Life for the evaders hung in the balance and if they were to survive they had to rely on guile and sheer luck.John Nichol and Tony Rennell tell the dramatic story of the heroes who made it home . . . and those who did not.

Author : Laurence J. Brown,Derek Richardson
Publisher : Empire Publishing Service
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Anglo-Saxons
ISBN : 1586900129

Get Book

Detachment W by Laurence J. Brown,Derek Richardson Pdf

Account of the escape of members from the so-called (by the French) "Détachement W", soldiers from the British Army and Royal Air Force, who after escaping from German prisons were recaptured in occupied France.

Author : Bryn Evans
Publisher : Pen and Sword Aviation
Page : 419 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2020-12-28
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781526761736

Get Book

Airmen's Incredible Escapes by Bryn Evans Pdf

Harrowing true stories of WWII Allied airmen who were shot down and survived, with maps and photos included. Allied air power made a major, arguably decisive, contribution to victory in the Second World War both in the European and Pacific theaters. But the cost in men and machines was horrific, with Bomber Command suffering 50% aircrew casualties. While many perished, others—shot down over enemy territory or water—survived only after overcoming extraordinary danger and hardship. Their experiences often remained untold, not just for the duration of the war but for many years. In this book, Bryn Evans has gathered together a wealth of unpublished stories from airmen of many nationalities, be they British, Commonwealth, or American. Some involve avoiding or escaping from capture, others surviving against all the odds, braving extreme elements and dodging death from wounds, drowning, or starvation. Importantly, the accounts of those who survived the battle in the skies cheating the enemy and the grim reaper give us a chilling insight into the fate of the many thousands of brave young men who were not so fortunate. The result is an inspiring and gripping read which bears testimony to human courage and resilience.

Author : Jonathan F Vance
Publisher : Greenhill Books
Page : 406 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2019-01-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9781784384418

Get Book

The True Story of the Great Escape by Jonathan F Vance Pdf

It shows the variety and depth of the men sent into harms way during World War II, something emphasised by the population of Stalag Luft III. Most of the Allied POWs were flyers, with all the technical, tactical and planning skills that profession requires. Such men are independent thinkers, craving open air and wide-open spaces, which meant than an obsession with escape was almost inevitable' - John D GreshamBetween dusk and dawn on the night of March 24th–25th 1944, a small army of Allied soldiers crawled through tunnels in Germany in a covert operation the likes of which the Third Reich had never seen before.The prison break from Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany was the largest of its kind in the Second World War. Seventy-nine Allied soldiers and airmen made it outside the wire – but only three made it outside Nazi Germany. Fifty were executed by the Gestapo.Jonathan Vance tells the incredible story that was made famous by the 1963 film The Great Escape. The escape is a classic tale of prisoner and their wardens in a battle of wits and wills.The brilliantly conceived escape plan is overshadowed only by the colourful, daring (and sometimes very funny) crew who executed it – literally under the noses of German guards.From their first days in Stalag Luft III and the forming of bonds key to such exploits, to the tunnel building, amazing escape and eventual capture, Vance's history is a vivid, compelling look at one of the greatest 'exfiltration' missions of all time.