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Fighter Pilot
Fighter Pilot is the incredible story of a World War II fighter pilot, 1st Lieutenant Levitt Beck, Jr., who was shot down in German-occupied France and hidden by members of the French underground. There he wrote this story of his life practically up until the moment he was discovered. He perished in Buchenwald concentration camp, but his manuscript was delivered to his parents after the war, who took on the responsibility of seeing it published posthumously in 1946.
Lt. Beck was shot down near Havelu, Eure-et-Loir, France on 29 June 1944 on an Armed Reconnaissance mission to the Mantes-la-Jolie/Gassicourt area. Although he initially managed to evade capture, he was eventually taken prisoner and, together with more than 167 other Allied airmen, was on a convoy that left Paris on August 18, 1944. He was interned at the Buchenwald concentration camp on August 20, 1944, where he became ill from maltreatment and undernourishment and died of “Lungentuberculosis” (phthisis; pulmonary consumption) in the camp hospital on October 31, 1944, aged 24.
His remains were never found and he continues to be listed as MIA (Missing in Action). He is believed to have been cremated in Buchenwald the day following his death. He memorialized at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Great-Duchy of Luxemburg.
Lt. Beck was shot down near Havelu, Eure-et-Loir, France on 29 June 1944 on an Armed Reconnaissance mission to the Mantes-la-Jolie/Gassicourt area. Although he initially managed to evade capture, he was eventually taken prisoner and, together with more than 167 other Allied airmen, was on a convoy that left Paris on August 18, 1944. He was interned at the Buchenwald concentration camp on August 20, 1944, where he became ill from maltreatment and undernourishment and died of “Lungentuberculosis” (phthisis; pulmonary consumption) in the camp hospital on October 31, 1944, aged 24.
His remains were never found and he continues to be listed as MIA (Missing in Action). He is believed to have been cremated in Buchenwald the day following his death. He memorialized at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg City, Great-Duchy of Luxemburg.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1946
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 28, 2022
An inspiring book written by a young American who joined the Army Air Forces in 1943 from California and became a P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter Pilot flying over France supporting the invasion in July 1944. Shot down on a heads on fight with a Focke Wulf 190 (he shot him down), our hero crash-landed and ended up in Anet, France as a guest of the French Resistance.
This autobiography looks into his motives and feelings about being a fighter pilot and participating as a patriot in WW II. He muses about his future and what happens if he is captured or does not return to the US forces. This transcript is buried in Anet, France just before he makes his way to Paris in the company of the Resistance. He is captured through deception by the German Gestapo and, ultimately, is part of a famous group of captured flyers sent by the Germans as concentration camp prisoners (not POWs) to Buchenwald.
I recommend this book as a view into the sacrifices made during WWII and further documentation of the way that the French Resistance worked and the excesses of the Gestapo.
This autobiography looks into his motives and feelings about being a fighter pilot and participating as a patriot in WW II. He muses about his future and what happens if he is captured or does not return to the US forces. This transcript is buried in Anet, France just before he makes his way to Paris in the company of the Resistance. He is captured through deception by the German Gestapo and, ultimately, is part of a famous group of captured flyers sent by the Germans as concentration camp prisoners (not POWs) to Buchenwald.
I recommend this book as a view into the sacrifices made during WWII and further documentation of the way that the French Resistance worked and the excesses of the Gestapo.
February 15, 2020
Fighter Pilot hero
A diary by an American hero, who wrote so that his loved ones could understand his stay in WW II occupied France. May his memory always be for blessing.
A diary by an American hero, who wrote so that his loved ones could understand his stay in WW II occupied France. May his memory always be for blessing.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews