Tidal Wave: The Pilot, the Princess, and the Enemy Ace--the Unlikely Alliance that Launched the Great Escape of WWII

by Adam Makos

After being shot down in Nazi-occupied Romania during WWII, a rookie American bomber crew must turn to unlikely Romanian royalty. A thrilling true story from the New York Times bestselling author of A Higher Call, Spearhead, and Devotion

It’s July 1943, and every available American B-24 bomber has been gathered in the Libyan desert for a secret a raid against Ploesti, home to the Romanian oil refineries that supply Hitler’s war machine with the lifeblood of war. But smashing “Hitler’s gas station” will require the most daring mission of the war, a raid of heavy bombers attacking volatile refineries at treetop level.

That task falls to Lieutenant Ernie Paulson and the rookie bomber crews of the 389th Bomb Group. A twenty-two-year-old copilot, Ernie, a farm kid from humble origins in Utah, is now embarking on the first adventure of his life. But when Ernie and his crew are shot down during the adrenaline-fueled attack, they crash-land in the last place they ever on the estate of Romanian princess Catherine Caradja.

After rescuing them from the clutches of the Nazis that occupy Romania, Princess Catherine adopts the American POWs as “her boys” and vows to get them home. Along the way, she brings the young men into a circle of unlikely allies, including Romania's twenty-one-year-old monarch, who's searching for a way to extract his nation from the Axis powers, and her cousin, a dashing Romanian ace reluctantly flying for the wrong side.

As the war turns against Germany, the American prisoners and their Romanian captors come to an understanding—their survival depends on joining forces. When Romania’s young king stages a coup against the Nazis, Ernie and the POWs are drawn into their most perilous mission a great escape that will require the aid of their unlikely Romanian allies, forging a bond of friendship that will shape the rest of their lives.

From a long-overlooked front of World War II, Adam Makos delivers a gripping true story destined to join the ranks of military history’s finest.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Military History

448 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 3, 2026

About the author

Hailed 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.

Reviews

[Zachary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tidal Wave is fantastic from beginning to end. Adam Makos brings an overlooked 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 soldiers 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