This is the story of my grandfather, B-24 Liberator Co-Pilot, Flight Officer and later Lieutenant, Francis Joseph Morrissey. This book chronicles his life: from growing up in Dayton, Ohio; becoming a factory worker just out of high school; enlisting in the Army Air Forces in 1942; completing Pilot School in Lubbock, Texas in August 1943; training to fly a B-24 Liberator; forming and training a crew in Clovis and Alamogordo, New Mexico with Pilot Francis S. Rzatkowski and Navigator “Handsome” Harry E. Parr; being assigned to Crew #302-9-59 in one of the four squadrons in the 450th Bombardment Group - the 722nd Bombardment Squadron (H); flying half way around the world from Herington, Kanas to Manduria, Italy in November and December 1943 with Rzatkowski and Parr on B-24H Liberator Serial No.41- 28603 - the “603” - - painted the “Chiquita Mia” around 10 November 1943; flying missions from Manduria Airfield on three ships; being shot down over Krizevci, Yugoslavia on 30 May 1944 on his 27th mission while Co-Pilot of B-24H Liberator Serial No. 42-94901; interrogation and processing at Dulag Luft; internment at Stalag Luft III; “The March” to Stalag XIII-D Nurnberg Langwasser starting on 27 January 1945; internment at Stalag VII-A; liberation by Patton’s Third Army on 30 April 1945; time spent in the Cigarette Camp Lucky Strike near Le Havre, France; the voyage home on Liberty Ship USS Monticello (AP-61) from 23 May to 3 June 1945; marriage to my grandmother on 16 June 1945; the remainder of his active duty service at Wright Field until October 1946; and post-war service in the Reserve and National Guard until 1972.

"Lest They Forget Freedom's Price," is the fascinating story of B-17 bomber pilot Edward M. Bender (USAAFR retired Lt. Col.), who describes his flight training, bomber missions, capture, and time as a POW in Europe during World War II. When a fire forces the crew of his Flying Fortress down in enemy-occupied France, Lt. Bender is captured by a unit of teenage NAZI recruits from Adolph Hitler's youth corps. He describes his year as a prisoner of the Third Reich at camps in Sagan, Nurnberg, and Moosburg, and the bitterly cold forced march of Winter 1945, when the Germans and POWs evacuated the Stalag Luft III prison camp in anticipation of the advancing Russian army. Finally, Lt. Bender is liberated by Gen. George Patton's army and returns home to adapt to the challenges of life in post-war America. Filled with humor and pathos, this narrative provides a portrait of life in war-time Europe and America, and the challenges faced by an American airman and POW.

Beretter om amerikanske flybesætningers forhold og oplevelser som krigsfanger efter at have overlevet nedskydninger og flyhavarier over tysk besat område under 2. verdenskrig.

This is a story of a young man from Chicago who becomes a copilot of a bomber in Europe during World War IIfrom training, to the assembly of his B-17 crew, the mens struggles after becoming prisoners of war, and the discovery some sixty years later of details his surviving family and fellow crew members never knew.

"The epic true story of an American hero who flew during WWII, soon to be featured in the upcoming Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks TV Series, Masters of the Air. Beginning on August 17, 1942, American heavy bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force took off for combat in the hostile skies over occupied Europe. The final price was staggering. 4,300 B-17s and B-24s failed to return; nearly 21,000 men were taken prisoner or interned in a neutral country, and a further 17,650 made the ultimate sacrifice. Luck of the Draw is more than a war story. It's the incredible, inspiring story of Frank Murphy, one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group, who cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress. Now with a new foreword written by his granddaughter Chloe Melas, of CNN, and daughter Elizabeth Murphy. "A gripping, inspirational account of incredible bravery, resilience, and sheer will to survive. A truly extraordinary story!" --General David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.)"--

It was December 3, 1943, and American warplanes were on assignment over Nazi Germany. Sergeant William Rasmussen was the ball turret gunner on the Hell’s Belle, a B-17 heavy bomber. During one of its missions, the Belle was shot down and the captured American flyers were sent to the notorious German prison camp Stalag 17B. In Stalag the American prisoners of war had to deal with the harsh rules imposed by the German Commandant as well as deplorable living conditions: filth, bitter cold, starvation and disease. Told through the eyes of one young flyer, the book has non-stop action, emotion and humor, and captures the upbeat and undefeatable spirit of America’s finest young men who served the United States during WWII. RANDALL L. RASMUSSEN, M.D. used his father’s memoirs, “From a B-17 to Stalag 17B,” as the basis for this book. Dr. Rasmussen also explored William Rasmussen’s notes, the verbal history that he recorded at the local library, research material, and recollections of the narratives he heard his father tell so many times over the years. William Rasmussen was a popular guest speaker at press clubs, library clubs and service organizations in Michigan’s lower peninsula near his home. His narratives were enjoyed immensely since he had a special gift of being able to captivate audiences as they shared his experiences flying over Nazi Germany and being a prisoner of war.