Shot down and on the run

By Graham Pitchfork

Subjects: Airmen, Aerial operations, Biography, World war, 1939-1945, personal narratives, World war, 1914-1918, aerial operations, Great Britain. Royal Air Force, Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc., Underground movements, War Underground movements, Great britain, royal air force, World War, 1939-1945, Aircraft accidents, Great britain, biography, Aerial Military operations, Flight crews, Survival, Armed Forces, Great Britain. MI9, Great Britain. Ml9, World war, 1939-1945, underground movements, Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, Airplane crash survival, Canada, biography, History, Great Britain, Personal narratives, Escapes, World war, 1939-1945, aerial operations, Commonwealth countries, politics and government

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. 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.