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. In 1944, George Starks was just a nineteen-year-old kid from Florida when he and his high school buddies enlisted in the US military. They wanted to join the action of WWII. George was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group?in which the median age was 22?and on his crew's first bombing mission together received the most vulnerable spot of a B-17 mission configuration: low squadron, low group, flying #6 in the bomber box formation. Airmen called George's position the "Coffin Corner" because here exposure was most likely to draw hostile fire. Sure enough, George's plane was shot down by a German Fw190, and he jumped at 25,000 feet for the "first and only time," as he tells the story. He landed near Vitry-le-Perthois to begin a 300-mile trek through the dangers of war-torn France towards the freedom of neutral Switzerland. Through waist-deep snow, seering exhaustion, and close encounters with Nazis, George repeated to himself the mantra "just one more day." He battled to keep walking. His comrades were scattered all across Europe and experienced places as formidable as German POW camps and as hospitable as Spain, each crew member always wondering about the fate of the others. After the war, George made two vows: he would never lose touch with his men again and one day would attempt to thank those who had risked their lives to save his. Despite passage of time and demands of career and family, he accomplished both. He reunited with his crew then twenty-five years later returned to France to locate as many of the brave souls who had helped him evade the enemy as he could. Join George 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

Avriett, Carole Engle; Starks, George W.

Skyhorse Publishing

Simon & Schuster

Regnery History

United States, United States of America

World War II Collection, 2018

1, 20180514

sources:
URN:ISBN:978-1-6215-7655-6

"Gripping...filled with...dramatic escapes, moments of surprising humanity, and acts of bravery." —Publishers Weekly
A Story of Adventure, Survival, Loyalty, and Brotherhood
Taking off from England on March 16, 1944, young Lt. George Starks and the nine-man crew of his Flying Fortress were assigned to the "coffin corner," the most exposed position in the bomber formation headed for Germany. They never got there. Shot down over Nazi-occupied France, the airmen bailed out one by one, scattered across the countryside. Miraculously, all ten survived, but as they discarded their parachutes in the farmland of Champagne, their wartime odyssey was only beginning.
Alone, with a broken foot and a 20mm shell fragment in his thigh, twenty-year-old Starks set out on an incredible 300-mile trek to Switzerland, making his way with the help of ordinary men and women who often put themselves in great danger on his behalf. Six weeks later, on the verge of giving up, Starks found himself in the hands of a heroic member of the French Resistance—he calls him "the bravest man I've ever known"—who got him safely across the heavily guarded border.
Similar ordeals awaited the other nine crewmen, who faced injury, betrayal, cap-tivity, hunger, and depression. It was nothing short of miraculous that all ten came home at the end of the war.
George Starks emerged from his ordeal with two passions—to stay in touch with his crew whatever the obstacles and to return to France to find and thank the brave souls to whom he owed his life. His enduring loyalty enabled him to do both.

During WWII, a B-17 crew of 10 men was shot down over German-occupied France in an area known as Coffin Corner. Their pilot, George Wiley Starks, spent six weeks walking through France into Switzerland with aid from ordinary men and women, plus several extraordinary leaders of the Resistance. These experiences instilled two dreams in Starks that have lasted a lifetime: to stay in touch with his crew by whatever means possible, and to return to France to relocate and honor those brave souls who assisted him in desperate hours of need. Through enduring dedication and loyalty, Starks accomplished both. Carole Engle Avriett offers a heart-pounding glimpse of what it is like to suddenly find yourself stranded in enemy territory

2024-12-16