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Tidal Wave: The Pilot, the Princess, and the Enemy Ace--the Unlikely Alliance that Launched the Great Escape of WWII
Not yet published
Expected 3 Nov 26From the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Higher Call, Spearhead, and Devotion comes an astonishing true story set in an untold arena of World War II.
“Tidal Wave is epic in every way. Like all good WWII books, it reminds us again, in the starkest terms possible, how much we owe to those who won that war.”—Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat
It’s summer 1943, and the world is on fire.
Lieutenant Ernie Poulson, a twenty-two-year-old outdoorsman from Utah, finds himself at the controls of America’s most advanced bomber, the B-24, brought to North Africa for a top-secret mission.
On the far side of Europe, Lieutenant Constantin Cantacuzino, Romania’s most daring ace, duels Soviet fighters on the Eastern Front while searching for purpose in an unwinnable war.
In Nazi-aligned Romania, Princess Catherine Caradja walks a perilous line between loyalty to her country and quiet defiance, as German forces dig in around the oil refineries in her backyard.
And in the royal palace, twenty-one-year-old King Michael of Romania—mocked and sidelined by a Nazi-backed dictator—quietly plots to seize his nation’s destiny before it is lost forever.
In Tidal Wave, Adam Makos brings these lives together in a sweeping saga of courage and survival, set against history’s most audacious air raid: the treetop assault on “Hitler’s gas station” at Ploesti, Romania. What begins in flames on August 1, 1943, sparks bonds no one could have foreseen—alliances between enemies—that will decide whether these men and women are consumed by war, or seize their chance at escape and redemption.
Drawn from years of extensive research and told with Makos’s signature cinematic intensity, Tidal Wave will remind you that even in war’s darkest hours, humanity has a way of breaking through.
“Tidal Wave is epic in every way. Like all good WWII books, it reminds us again, in the starkest terms possible, how much we owe to those who won that war.”—Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat
It’s summer 1943, and the world is on fire.
Lieutenant Ernie Poulson, a twenty-two-year-old outdoorsman from Utah, finds himself at the controls of America’s most advanced bomber, the B-24, brought to North Africa for a top-secret mission.
On the far side of Europe, Lieutenant Constantin Cantacuzino, Romania’s most daring ace, duels Soviet fighters on the Eastern Front while searching for purpose in an unwinnable war.
In Nazi-aligned Romania, Princess Catherine Caradja walks a perilous line between loyalty to her country and quiet defiance, as German forces dig in around the oil refineries in her backyard.
And in the royal palace, twenty-one-year-old King Michael of Romania—mocked and sidelined by a Nazi-backed dictator—quietly plots to seize his nation’s destiny before it is lost forever.
In Tidal Wave, Adam Makos brings these lives together in a sweeping saga of courage and survival, set against history’s most audacious air raid: the treetop assault on “Hitler’s gas station” at Ploesti, Romania. What begins in flames on August 1, 1943, sparks bonds no one could have foreseen—alliances between enemies—that will decide whether these men and women are consumed by war, or seize their chance at escape and redemption.
Drawn from years of extensive research and told with Makos’s signature cinematic intensity, Tidal Wave will remind you that even in war’s darkest hours, humanity has a way of breaking through.
448 pages, ebook
Expected publication November 3, 2026
About the author
Adam Makos
8 books707 followersHailed as “A masterful storyteller” by the Associated Press, Adam Makos is the author of the New York Times bestseller, A Higher Call, and the critically-acclaimed, Devotion. Inspired by his grandfathers’ service, Adam chronicles the stories of American veterans in his trademark “You Are There” style, landing him “in the top ranks of military writers,” according to the Los Angeles Times. In pursuit of a story, Adam has flown a WWII bomber, accompanied a Special Forces raid in Iraq, and journeyed into North Korea in search of an MIA American serviceman.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
“You can handle more than you think you can.”
Adam Makos is the author of Spearhead, which is one of the most engaging, well researched and written, readable military history books I’ve ever read. It came out in 2019, and I’ve been watching for his next book ever since. It’s here! Tidal Wave is the sort of story that, if it were published as historical fiction, would be panned by many as simply unbelievable. Where’s the credibility? But it did happen, and this is not fiction.
My thanks go to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the review copy. This book will be available to the public November 3, 2026.
We start with an elite group of pilots from the U.S. Air Force. It’s the autumn of 1943, and the boys—and back then, they were all boys and young men—have been sent to North Africa on a top secret mission. They are to fly nonstop to Romania, which is an Axis nation, also known as “Hitler’s Gas Station” for its large-scale oil refineries, and they are to bomb the living hell out of those refineries in broad daylight at low altitude, to avoid radar detection and diminish civilian casualties. It’s massively dangerous; some might call it a suicide mission. But if successful, it will deal a massive blow to the Nazi war machine.
“If not one bomber returns tomorrow, but that target is wiped out, the mission will still be a success.”
Meanwhile, Romanians are chafing under Nazi rule. Nobody there volunteered for this; the Nazis came in and announced they were taking all the oil, and they would pay for it at below market prices. The Nazis were tolerated because they promised to return territory that was usurped by the Soviet Union at the conclusion of World War I.
Add to this story a royal family that determines to covertly help the American pilots that have been shot down over their country, and for good measure, sprinkle it with local orphans, and you have—in author Makos’s capable hands—one hell of a war story. The captured pilots make a break for it, and their struggle, along with the danger they face, makes this story a nail-biter even though we know how it’s going to turn out, at least in large measure.
Those that sigh and sit back after seeing the genre—military history—should know that this reads like narrative nonfiction. I was reading a couple of pretty good novels alternately with this one, but this is the one that kept me awake late at night, because I had to know who made it and who did not. Add into this the twist at the end regarding the Romanian princess and the enemy pilot, and you have a matchless story.
Highly recommended to all.
Adam Makos is the author of Spearhead, which is one of the most engaging, well researched and written, readable military history books I’ve ever read. It came out in 2019, and I’ve been watching for his next book ever since. It’s here! Tidal Wave is the sort of story that, if it were published as historical fiction, would be panned by many as simply unbelievable. Where’s the credibility? But it did happen, and this is not fiction.
My thanks go to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the review copy. This book will be available to the public November 3, 2026.
We start with an elite group of pilots from the U.S. Air Force. It’s the autumn of 1943, and the boys—and back then, they were all boys and young men—have been sent to North Africa on a top secret mission. They are to fly nonstop to Romania, which is an Axis nation, also known as “Hitler’s Gas Station” for its large-scale oil refineries, and they are to bomb the living hell out of those refineries in broad daylight at low altitude, to avoid radar detection and diminish civilian casualties. It’s massively dangerous; some might call it a suicide mission. But if successful, it will deal a massive blow to the Nazi war machine.
“If not one bomber returns tomorrow, but that target is wiped out, the mission will still be a success.”
Meanwhile, Romanians are chafing under Nazi rule. Nobody there volunteered for this; the Nazis came in and announced they were taking all the oil, and they would pay for it at below market prices. The Nazis were tolerated because they promised to return territory that was usurped by the Soviet Union at the conclusion of World War I.
Add to this story a royal family that determines to covertly help the American pilots that have been shot down over their country, and for good measure, sprinkle it with local orphans, and you have—in author Makos’s capable hands—one hell of a war story. The captured pilots make a break for it, and their struggle, along with the danger they face, makes this story a nail-biter even though we know how it’s going to turn out, at least in large measure.
Those that sigh and sit back after seeing the genre—military history—should know that this reads like narrative nonfiction. I was reading a couple of pretty good novels alternately with this one, but this is the one that kept me awake late at night, because I had to know who made it and who did not. Add into this the twist at the end regarding the Romanian princess and the enemy pilot, and you have a matchless story.
Highly recommended to all.
July 18, 2026
As usual, Adam Makos brings an incredible wartime story to life. He’s one of my favorite nonfiction authors because of his ability to make history feel immediate and deeply personal. His writing places you right in the middle of the action, making every page feel cinematic.
This is a book I could easily see myself rereading, and I sincerely hope it one day gets adapted into a film. Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of another outstanding book from one of my favorite authors.
This is a book I could easily see myself rereading, and I sincerely hope it one day gets adapted into a film. Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of another outstanding book from one of my favorite authors.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was an outstanding story of an event in WW2 that very few history books discussed. The courage of the people involved to defy the Germans and save over 1,000 allied soldiers is truly inspiring. This is a great read and highly recommended.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Tidal Wave is fantastic from beginning to end. Adam Makos brings an untold story to life in such incredible detail. It is rare that a history writer can capture the reader in this way. I feel so fortunate to get to experience this book and more importantly the story of these brave men in this way. Adam Makos has an incredible talent for brining history to life and this book is no exception. A must read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews