Product Description

Determined to take on the Nazis, Texan Bill Ash joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1939 and in so doing sacrificed his citizenship. Before long, he was sent to England where he flew Spitfires. Shot down over France in March 1942, he survived the crash-landing and, thanks to local civilians, evaded capture for months only to be betrayed to the Gestapo in Paris. Tortured and sentenced to death as a spy, he was saved from the firing squad by the Luftwaffe who sent him to the infamous 'Great Escape' POW camp, Stalag Luft III. It was from there that Bill began his 'tour' of Occupied Europe. Breaking out of a succession of camps, he became one of only a handful of serial escape artists to attempt more than a dozen break-outs - over the wire, under it in tunnels, through it with cutters or simply strolling out of the camp gates in disguise! They were years of extraordinary hardship, frustration and brutality - the penalty for escaping was a long spell in solitary - but throughout it all Bill Ash displayed not just remarkable courage but also an anarchic sense of humour, great humanity and an unstoppable desire for freedom. Honest, funny and exciting, "Under the Wire" is both a riveting war memoir and a tribute to the bravery and resolve of an entire generation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12678 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From the Back Cover
Bill Ash is one of a rare breed. In 1940, he sacrificed his American citizenship to join in the fight against Hitler. He became a fighter pilot, came to Britain and flew Spitfires in combat…

In March 1942, Bill was shot down over France. He survived, evading capture for months before being betrayed to the Gestapo in Paris. Tortured and sentenced to death as a spy, he was saved from the firing squad by the Luftwaffe and sent to Stalag Luft III, the infamous ‘Great Escape’ prisoner of war camp. And from there Bill began his extraordinary three year-long ‘tour’ of occupied Europe. One of a handful of POWs to attempt more than a dozen break-outs – over the wire, tunnelling under it, cutting through it or simply strolling out of a camp’s gates in disguise – he is one of the war’s greatest escapers.

Hailed by The Times as ‘a story of bravery in the face of brutality, of comradeship, of a never-say-die attitude’, Under the Wire is both one man’s remarkable memoir and a tribute to an entire generation.

‘Well written and exciting…there are passages in this book that make the reader want to stand up and cheer’Charles Rollings, author of Wire and Walls

‘A remarkable story…brilliantly told’Tony Rennell, co-author of The Last Escape

‘Thoughtful, deep and poignant…a testament to man’s deep-seated yearning to be free’Robert Wilcox, author of Scream of Eagles

About the Author
Born in Texas in 1917, William Ash worked his way through school and college during the Great Depression, graduating from the University of Texas, Austin. At the outbreak of war in Europe he rode the rails to Canada and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. A Spitfire pilot, he saw action with 411 Squadron. Shot down over France in March 1942, he was eventually captured and sent to a succession of POW camps, from which he escaped or attempted escape on a regular basis. At war's end, he was awarded an MBE for his escaping activities. After gaining a further degree at Balliol College, Oxford, Bill worked for the BBC in India, then as a producer for BBC Radio Drama. A writer and journalist, he is also past president of the Writers' Guild. Married to the academic Ranjana Ash, he lives in London. Brendan Foley grew up in Belfast and now divides his time between London and Santa Monica. An award-winning features journalist, he ran a successful communications consultancy and now writes full-time, including fiction, biography and screenplays. His first feature film is currently in pre-production with Affinity Films International. Brendan first met Bill Ash in the 1980s. Inspired by the former pilot's life, he wrote a screenplay of his wartime adventures, then encouraged Bill to tell his story to a wider audience, through Under the Wire.

Customer Reviews

Under the Wire
I've read a lot of autobiographies and the 'I did this, I did that' factor can be pretty tiresome unless you are totally fascinated by the author. The fact is that I quickly forgot that 'Under the Wire' was an autobiography - it is so much more than 'just' a story about a man who becomes a fighter pilot, gets shot down and tries to escape. But it is story that makes this book so amazing: all at once it manages to be incredibly moving, heart-warming, hilarious, disturbing and inspiring - and it seems incredible (and often an injustice) that all this could have happened to one person. To come out the other side of these experiences with the deep love for people that Bill Ash clearly does have, just goes to show what an amazing human being he must be. You might say that he can only blame himself for the scrapes that he got into - he is clearly healthily obsessive with standing up to bullies (from playgrounds in depression hit America to nazi thugs bullwhipping women refugees), and it makes you wish that you had the guts to be by his side doing the same. Above all, I think that this book should give you hope - no matter how bad times are, the kindness of people will always find a way. Eternal thanks to Bill and our forbears who fought for a free world.

Remarkable, gripping, impossible to put down
When I began reading UNDER THE WIRE, I expected a story of heroic "derring-do", recalled with a sort of misty, stiff-upper lipped nostalgia by a Grand Lion in the winter of his remarkable life.

Instead, I got so, so much more.

Bill Ash's life is remarkable by anyone's yardstick. From his earliest childhood in Depression-era Texas, he was a hero, ready and eager to take on any bully. While America watched as Europe fell to a maniacal Hitler, he made a decision to personally take on the biggest bully in modern history.

Remarkable? Brave? Courageous? Yes, all of these adjectives describe the heroic life of Bill Ash.

But his life, and his story -- told so extraordinarily well by Ash and his co-writer, Brendan Foley -- is also funny, human and a lesson in living one's life with heart and a true moral compass.

There is as much Huck Finn and Jack Kerouac in Ash's war stories, as there is John Wayne.

Like all great tales of history, UNDER THE WIRE does more than offer adventure after adventure (and WOW, what adventures Bill had!)

The book offers a sense of the times, a sense of the politics, insights into the dangers, the choices, the cat-and-mouse existence of a Prisoner of War.

Bill played cat-and-mouse with the Third Reich, and did it brilliantly.

And I have never read an adventure story with so much genuine humor!

UNDER THE WIRE is a glorious tribute to the sort of person we long for, but never really see anymore: a true hero.

And it's a great, entertaining read.

Enthralled!
Being ex-forces, and in my 40's, the daring-do books about the SAS and the Gulf Wars have been high on my agenda. I happened to see 'Under the wire' and thought "I'd give it a go". My opinion - absolutely brilliant! I couldn't put it down. A few years ago people applauded 'Chris Ryan' (or whatever his real name is) for his dramatic 'The one that got away'. I'm sorry Mr Ryan, in the hero stakes you're not in the same league as William Ash and his POW colleagues. These guys are the real un-sung heroes, I had no idea about life behind the wire in WWII apart from what I've seen on television (evidently not that accurate). I'd love to know what became of more of the characters in the book (particularly Jimmy 'Dixie' Deans), but most of all I'd love to meet Bill Ash, shake him by the hand, and know I've met one of the most inspirational characters that ever walked this earth.