As a young band of brothers flies over German-occupied France, they come under heavy fire. Their B-17 is shot down and the airmen—stumbling through fields and villages—scatter across Europe. Some struggled to flee for safety. Others were captured immediately and imprisoned. Now, for the first time, their incredible story of grit, survival, and reunion is told…

Join Capt. George W. Starks as he retraces his steps to freedom and discover the amazing stories of sacrifice and survival and how ten young American boys plus their French Helpers became heroes.

Confession: my 5-star rating is purely emotional, and I won’t apologize for it.

Normally I rate books on a variety of things: topic, style, voice, ease of reading, etc. Not this time. This is a strictly emotional rating because this book is the story of my husband’s grandpa.

When I met my husband, his grandpa was pretty sick with Alzheimer’s, so I never had the chance to speak with him. I did find out, though, that Grandpa has been shot down during WW2 and was a POW (I believe his wife was pregnant with my father-in-law at the time). No one ever really knew what happened to the plane or how Grandpa survived in Germany because he didn’t like to talk about it.

Dale Beery had already died by the time this book was written (and most likely when the author was researching the story). Even if he’d been alive, I’m not sure he would have contributed much. Nevertheless, the stories of the other men give a good, general idea of what Dale would have experienced.

Stories of WW2 are heart-wrenching, but this one has a bit of a happy ending. Superhero movies are fun, but the men and women in this book — soldiers and civilians, American and French (and even a German soldier who likely saved an American airman’s life) — are truly heroes. They put so much on the line for so many people. It’s truly amazing.

I am, of course, biased, but if you’re a history buff — especially military history — I highly recommend this book. It was easy to read, and the true adventures of these men are as exciting as anything an author or screenwriter could create.

Rated PG for thematic elements. Get your copy here!