We Flew, We Fell, We Lived: The Remarkable Reminiscences of Second World War Evaders and Prisoners of War

by PhilipLaGrandeur (Author), JimmyJames (Foreword)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2007

  $5.12

  Forty officers and men offer their previously unpublished personal accounts of the Nazis' treatment of captured Allied air force personnel, and of the organization of the PoW camps where they were held. The notorious Great Escape is covered in detail, from tunnelling activities to the terrible aftermath, based on the testimony of several of those involved. The evaders recount their escapes through Sweden, the Comet Line to Spain, and through Italy. Two men who were captured by the Gestapo were sent to the infamous Fresnes prison in Paris. One man gives a riveting description of his torture there and both men recount their survival of the deadly Buchenwald concentration camp. Yet there is a lighter side to many of these stories. Perhaps not surprising is the strong thread of humour evident in the PoWs' logbooks, a real testament to their strength of character. There are also accounts of musical concerts put on by PoWs, of building a theatre and staging performances, organizing sporting events, and of the 'black market' side of camp life. Many of these stories also contain brief epilogues describing the return to civilian life and the determination of these survivors to make the best of their good fortune.