Product Description

Many POW escape stories are well known, but what about those who miraculously evaded capture in the first place and returned to fight another day? This book tells some of the epic stories of the thousands of shot-down British, Canadian, Australian and other Commonwealth airmen who got out from behind enemy lines across all theatres of World War II. They include the Halifax pilot shot down in northern Germany who walked and cycled over 1000 miles to arrive safely in Barcelona two months later; the Baltimore navigator brought down in Italy who had to hide in a bush for three days before escaping over mountains to reach friendly lines; the Wellington crew who were rescued after a 400-mile, 28-day trek through the African desert; and the Beaufighter crew that survived for a month behind Japanese lines. Based on special first-hand interviews and new research into official debriefing documents held at the National Archives, many of these accounts have never been published before. A key element of the book is a full exploration of the pivotal role of the Military Intelligence body MI9 that masterminded the training, support and organization of escape and evasion. Also featured throughout are rare photographs of evaders and their helpers, unusual illustrations from training manuals and clear maps for each key theatre of war.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #235015 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal
'This is a book of quality. It informs, entertains and uplifts the spirits.'

Synopsis
Many POW escape stories are well known, but what about those who miraculously evaded capture in the first place and returned to fight another day? This book tells some of the epic stories of the thousands of shot-down British, Canadian, Australian and other Commonwealth airmen who got out from behind enemy lines across all theatres of World War II. They include the Halifax pilot shot down in northern Germany who walked and cycled over 1000 miles to arrive safely in Barcelona two months later; the Baltimore navigator brought down in Italy who had to hide in a bush for three days before escaping over mountains to reach friendly lines; the Wellington crew who were rescued after a 400-mile, 28-day trek through the African desert; and the Beaufighter crew that survived for a month behind Japanese lines. Based on special first-hand interviews and new research into official debriefing documents held at the National Archives, many of these accounts have never been published before. A key element of the book is a full exploration of the pivotal role of the Military Intelligence body MI9 that masterminded the training, support and organization of escape and evasion.

Also featured throughout are rare photographs of evaders and their helpers, unusual illustrations from training manuals and clear maps for each key theatre of war.

About the Author
Air Commodore Graham Pitchfork MBE served in the RAF for 36 years and was subsequently a Director of Military Intelligence at the Ministry of Defence. His previous books include Men behind the Medals (Leo Cooper/Combined Books, 1998) and The Buccaneers (Sutton, 2002), and he has also written over 50 articles on aviation history for journals such as Flypast. He lives in Gloucestershire.