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Coffin Corner Boys: One Bomber, Ten Men, and Their Harrowing Escape from Nazi-Occupied France
"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.
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.
304 pages, Paperback
Published July 13, 2021
97 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Carole Engle Avriett
8 books24 followersCarole Engle Avriett is a former writer/editor for Southern Living Magazine. In addition to leading women's conferences throughout the United States, Canada, and Brazil, where she and her husband serve as missionaries during the summer months, Carole has also authored two Bible Studies. She currently resides in Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
June 21, 2022
In this book you can see what difference a few seconds can make in your life... The story follows ten young aircrew who's B-17 was shot down over occupied France during World War 2, and though their jumps from the stricken airplane were separated by mere seconds, their journeys could not have been more different where some of them evaded capture and escaped to neutral Switzerland or Spain, and others ended up in POW camps in Germany. What I like most about the story is that it gives each man's background before joining the air force, but does not waste pages explaining their Stateside training. It focuses on each man's journey after bailing-out and their bids for freedom, before returning home. Also interesting is the men who wound up in Switzerland stories where they were interned at a luxury ski resort outside of Montreux. Great story and highly recommended.
March 2, 2021
This is a Non-Fiction/Memoir/World War II. I have to say normally I find non-fiction books hard to read or hard to get into, but this book was easy to read and pulled me in very fast. I have to say that all I could think these could be some of the American Airman that was save in "the Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah. Before a ton of people tell me...Yes, I know the Nightingale is Historical Fiction. It just help me to connect to the Airman in this book so fast. I loved reading about their story. The pictures of the men just help put everything in the book together. (*)
December 11, 2023
In March of 1944, a USAF bomber with a crew of ten is shot down over France. The crew are little more than teenagers, yet they decide on evading capture and taking to the hills.
Sounds like a good story. It is and it's all true.
Using the personal accounts of many and not just the crew men, the tale is told.
At times, it's difficult to imagine how they managed. True grit!!
Sounds like a good story. It is and it's all true.
Using the personal accounts of many and not just the crew men, the tale is told.
At times, it's difficult to imagine how they managed. True grit!!
October 13, 2020
This is a Non-Fiction/Memoir/World War II. I have to say normally I find non-fiction books hard to read or hard to get into, but this book was easy to read and pulled me in very fast. I have to say that all I could think these could be some of the American Airman that was save in "the Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah. Before a ton of people tell me...Yes, I know the Nightingale is Historical Fiction. It just help me to connect to the Airman in this book so fast. I loved reading about their story. The pictures of the men just help put everything in the book together. (*)
April 17, 2024
While they had been substitutes on other missions, this was their first mission together after arriving in England and it would turn out to be their last. Coffin Corner Boys by Carol Engle Avriett features the stories of the 10-man crew of a downed B-17 bomb in occupied France and how they survived not only through her own research but through interviews and first-person accounts by the flyers themselves.
The newly arrived crew piloted by a 20-year-old George W. Starks left for their first mission, occupying the coffin corner—so named for being the most vulnerable to fighter attack—position in the flying formation due to being the least experienced in the squadron. They were shot down and those able to parachute to safety landed in occupied France three months before D-Day, their options were to get to Switzerland or Spain before being taken as prisoners of war. As it happened all three options happened to the crew as George Starks on his own and a few others as a group were able to get to Switzerland with help, a few were able to get to Spain with help, and the rest were eventually captured by the Germans and taken to POW camps in Germany. While Avriett is the main author, Starks is the primary contributor through interviews he had given and written accounts so much so that this could have been “The George Starks Story” but as one learns when reading this book that would not have been the George Starks way when it came to his crew. All the flyers’ stories are absorbing from two crewmembers’ harrowing last moments before making it to Spain to the crewmembers who survived in POW camps or later the death match to no where in the last months of the war.
Coffin Corner Boys tells the stories of survival by a crew of a downed B-17 bomber over occupied France that keeps the reader interested in a book that is less than 250 pages long. Carol Engle Avriett using research, interviews, and written recollections from all the crewmembers—especially by George W. Starks—brings page-turning read from those interested real-life military stories.
The newly arrived crew piloted by a 20-year-old George W. Starks left for their first mission, occupying the coffin corner—so named for being the most vulnerable to fighter attack—position in the flying formation due to being the least experienced in the squadron. They were shot down and those able to parachute to safety landed in occupied France three months before D-Day, their options were to get to Switzerland or Spain before being taken as prisoners of war. As it happened all three options happened to the crew as George Starks on his own and a few others as a group were able to get to Switzerland with help, a few were able to get to Spain with help, and the rest were eventually captured by the Germans and taken to POW camps in Germany. While Avriett is the main author, Starks is the primary contributor through interviews he had given and written accounts so much so that this could have been “The George Starks Story” but as one learns when reading this book that would not have been the George Starks way when it came to his crew. All the flyers’ stories are absorbing from two crewmembers’ harrowing last moments before making it to Spain to the crewmembers who survived in POW camps or later the death match to no where in the last months of the war.
Coffin Corner Boys tells the stories of survival by a crew of a downed B-17 bomber over occupied France that keeps the reader interested in a book that is less than 250 pages long. Carol Engle Avriett using research, interviews, and written recollections from all the crewmembers—especially by George W. Starks—brings page-turning read from those interested real-life military stories.
December 25, 2021
WWII History + narration by Patrick Lawlor = yes please!
This book is unique in that much of it is told from the perspectives of the men who were on the plane that crashed. It’s also not an action packed military thriller type take. We hear each of their stories and the various paths they took over more than a year to get home.
Starks also returns to France many times over a span of decades in order to thank all the many people who helped him make it to Switzerland. It was really great to get to hear what happened with them as well.
Because of the multiple views and several trips to Paris sharing memories it was somewhat repetitive. However, I did appreciate that Avriett used the men’s debriefing reports in order to accurately honor the events at the time they happened. There’s also a raw look at the conditions that soldiers faced - the constant fear can be felt through many chapters.
Narration:
Patrick Lawlor really brought this to life. He gave each man their own distinct voice which really helped differentiate the alternating perspectives.
This book is unique in that much of it is told from the perspectives of the men who were on the plane that crashed. It’s also not an action packed military thriller type take. We hear each of their stories and the various paths they took over more than a year to get home.
Starks also returns to France many times over a span of decades in order to thank all the many people who helped him make it to Switzerland. It was really great to get to hear what happened with them as well.
Because of the multiple views and several trips to Paris sharing memories it was somewhat repetitive. However, I did appreciate that Avriett used the men’s debriefing reports in order to accurately honor the events at the time they happened. There’s also a raw look at the conditions that soldiers faced - the constant fear can be felt through many chapters.
Narration:
Patrick Lawlor really brought this to life. He gave each man their own distinct voice which really helped differentiate the alternating perspectives.
May 17, 2024
I picked this book up in a bargain bin after watching the Apple TV Mini-series, Masters of the Air. This is the true story of one of the crews of a B-17 bomber who in their very first mission, was shot down over France late in WWII. It was a young crew, average age of 22 who were scattered as they parachuted after the plane was hit. The book is essentially the story of each crew member as they tried to survive and make it to safety downed in enemy territory.
January 31, 2021
Confession: my 5-star rating is purely emotional, and I won't apologize for it.
Normally I rate books on a variety of things: topic, style, voice, ease of reading, etc. Not this time. This is a strictly emotional rating because this book is the story of my husband's grandpa.
When I met my husband, his grandpa was pretty sick with Alzheimer's, so I never had the chance to speak with him. I did find out, though, that Grandpa has been shot down during WW2 and was a POW (I believe his wife was pregnant with my father-in-law at the time). No one ever really knew what happened to the plane or how Grandpa survived in Germany because he didn't like to talk about it.
Dale Beery had already died by the time this book was written (and most likely when the author was researching the story). Even if he'd been alive, I'm not sure he would have contributed much. Nevertheless, the stories of the other men give a good, general idea of what Dale would have experienced.
Stories of WW2 are heart-wrenching, but this one has a bit of a happy ending. Superhero movies are fun, but the men and women in this book -- soldiers and civilians, American and French (and even a German soldier who likely saved an American airman's life) -- are truly heroes. They put so much on the line for so many people. It's truly amazing.
I am, of course, biased, but if you're a history buff -- especially military history -- I highly recommend this book. It was easy to read, and the true adventures of these men are as exciting as anything an author or screenwriter could create.
Rated PG for thematic elements.
Normally I rate books on a variety of things: topic, style, voice, ease of reading, etc. Not this time. This is a strictly emotional rating because this book is the story of my husband's grandpa.
When I met my husband, his grandpa was pretty sick with Alzheimer's, so I never had the chance to speak with him. I did find out, though, that Grandpa has been shot down during WW2 and was a POW (I believe his wife was pregnant with my father-in-law at the time). No one ever really knew what happened to the plane or how Grandpa survived in Germany because he didn't like to talk about it.
Dale Beery had already died by the time this book was written (and most likely when the author was researching the story). Even if he'd been alive, I'm not sure he would have contributed much. Nevertheless, the stories of the other men give a good, general idea of what Dale would have experienced.
Stories of WW2 are heart-wrenching, but this one has a bit of a happy ending. Superhero movies are fun, but the men and women in this book -- soldiers and civilians, American and French (and even a German soldier who likely saved an American airman's life) -- are truly heroes. They put so much on the line for so many people. It's truly amazing.
I am, of course, biased, but if you're a history buff -- especially military history -- I highly recommend this book. It was easy to read, and the true adventures of these men are as exciting as anything an author or screenwriter could create.
Rated PG for thematic elements.
July 18, 2018
I listened to this audiobook and the only reason I am giving it 3 stars is because it felt very repetitive to me. The way it was written was such that it told each of the 10 men's stories, which meant there was a lot of repeating and in some cases even the exact same wording/phrasing was used. Yes, the men did separate and have their own stories at certain points, but by the end of the book, I was kind of glad it was over. The story was interesting and heartwarming at the end, but felt very long when it didn't need to.
June 12, 2022
It’s an interesting and at times harrowing read as you try to put yourself in the shoes of these 10 men who were shot down over occupied France and, against all odds, managed to survive their different and difficult ordeals either escaping into neutral Spain or Switzerland, or were captured and endured POW camps and horrific death marches in the closing months of the war. It’s also a worthy tribute to the brave French citizens, and even one German soldier, who risked everything to help.
My only quibbles were with the rather simplistic writing. Don’t expect meaty military details—this was not written by an historian but rather someone who just wanted to share these stories. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just much more of a fireside story. I also suspect that as we get further away from the events in question, now that nearly all the veterans are gone, all we’re left with is second- or even third-hand accounts like this. While it did capture some of the tension, it still felt a little flat at time, lacking the sorts of details you would expect from actual first-hand accounts.
The book also suffers from a lot of repetition as each chapter covers the same events from different viewpoints, and then the narrative constantly jumps around from person to person in short chapters. I suspect this was done to enhance a sense of suspense, but it got annoying after a while. Also, particularly toward the end, it constantly broke up into short chapters even when following the same person. It reminds me of college papers full of tricks to make it longer than it actually is. I feel that a good 20-40 pages could have been cut by combining chapters into a single cohesive narrative.
My only quibbles were with the rather simplistic writing. Don’t expect meaty military details—this was not written by an historian but rather someone who just wanted to share these stories. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just much more of a fireside story. I also suspect that as we get further away from the events in question, now that nearly all the veterans are gone, all we’re left with is second- or even third-hand accounts like this. While it did capture some of the tension, it still felt a little flat at time, lacking the sorts of details you would expect from actual first-hand accounts.
The book also suffers from a lot of repetition as each chapter covers the same events from different viewpoints, and then the narrative constantly jumps around from person to person in short chapters. I suspect this was done to enhance a sense of suspense, but it got annoying after a while. Also, particularly toward the end, it constantly broke up into short chapters even when following the same person. It reminds me of college papers full of tricks to make it longer than it actually is. I feel that a good 20-40 pages could have been cut by combining chapters into a single cohesive narrative.
March 6, 2023
Amazing feats of courage and loyalty by the brave men, women and even children to aid the allies shot down in enemy territory. It was so encouraging to read of the miracles that happened to keep them safe. The writer switched back and forth between individual experiences by chapter, which made it difficult to follow.
March 23, 2021
This was good but not overly memorable.
August 11, 2024
Interesting, but not riveting. The last few chapters are about one guy's visit back to France. Those chapters go on for way longer than necessary. Not a bad read, but I don't necessarily recommend.
August 23, 2021
Coffin Corner Boys is a true tale about the escape and evasion (of most of the crew) of a B-17 which was shot down over occupied France during WW II. Not only did the title grab my attention, but seeing that Lt. Gen “Buck” Shuler, Jr. wrote the forward (having know George Starks, the B-17’s Commander). I had the honor to have served on Gen Shuler’s staff when he commanded the Mighty 8th Air Force—that alone was impetus enough for me to read Stark’s daring tale of escape and evasion through occupied France. One other connection that amazed me was that he is from my mother-in-law’s hometown of Live Oak, FL. He’s right it isn’t a large place (I’ve been there). He surely knew her brother who flew P-51s during the war. His exploits and subsequent escape into Switzerland are the ‘stuff of legends.’ Several of his crew were captured upon parachute landing and survived the horrors of internment as POWs. Bravery comes in many forms and he and his crew were truly brave men determined to do their part to defeat the Axis Powers. The most heart-warming part of this tale of audacity is that later in life Starks reconnected with the French peoples who assisted him and his crewmen as they fled through the French countryside one step ahead of German soldiers and capture. Those that helped them were also made of the ‘right stuff’ and exhibited just as much bravery in the face of retribution by the German occupying forces. A great read for anyone, especially those interested in the true-life adventures of our nation’s Greatest Generation.
May 14, 2018
Heroes do not wear capes, they wear dogtags. But not all the heroes of WWII wore dogtags. Many were ordinary citizens who risked their lives and the lives of their families to help the soldiers who were trying to escape to safety, in the face of the German soldiers who were patrolling the countryside.
This book is a hard one to put to words. Follow the harrowing tale of these young men who left home to fight in the war, shot down, and on the run to make it to safety. This book had me hooked from the beginning. I was amazed and grateful at the many families, who put themselves at risk to help these downed soldiers, hiding them in one place, and then another. Some of them were captured - but some made it to Switzerland without being caught, with the help of the French Resistance.
In the "Coffin Corner Boys" we follow the story of George Starks who returned to France decades after the war, to find those who had helped him, and to show his appreciation for everything that they had done for him. Taking his wife along, she was able to see the many miles he had traversed and the many people who had helped hide him along the road until he reached safety.
We hear from the other flyers who were shot down with George, and their tales of trying to reach freedom, we see the horrors of being captured and imprisoned as a POW. A few of the flyers saw the devastation and horrors contained within the concentration camps.
A powerful story of survival, hope and endurance. If you love military history, check out this read! Thank you Edelweiss for an advanced review copy for an unbiased review!
This book is a hard one to put to words. Follow the harrowing tale of these young men who left home to fight in the war, shot down, and on the run to make it to safety. This book had me hooked from the beginning. I was amazed and grateful at the many families, who put themselves at risk to help these downed soldiers, hiding them in one place, and then another. Some of them were captured - but some made it to Switzerland without being caught, with the help of the French Resistance.
In the "Coffin Corner Boys" we follow the story of George Starks who returned to France decades after the war, to find those who had helped him, and to show his appreciation for everything that they had done for him. Taking his wife along, she was able to see the many miles he had traversed and the many people who had helped hide him along the road until he reached safety.
We hear from the other flyers who were shot down with George, and their tales of trying to reach freedom, we see the horrors of being captured and imprisoned as a POW. A few of the flyers saw the devastation and horrors contained within the concentration camps.
A powerful story of survival, hope and endurance. If you love military history, check out this read! Thank you Edelweiss for an advanced review copy for an unbiased review!
May 28, 2018
This is an excellent true survival story. Ten men bailed out of a burning airplane over Nazi occupied France in March 1944. Separated from each other, they tried to make it back home despite being surrounded by enemy troops and natural hardships.
The meaning of the title - "Coffin Corner Boys" - is that their assigned position in the layered, box-like formation of their bomber unit, in one particular lower corner of the formation, was where the odds were highest of being shot down. Apparently, the newest bomber crew was assigned this slot. The one complaint I have is that it is never explained why this corner was different from, say, the opposite corner. Why did the planes in the other corners not have the same rate of being shot down?
On the side of the downed airmen was the fact that the French civilians hated the Germans for occupying their country. Some of the French police were willing to turn over members of the American bomber crew to the Germans, which is what happened to a few of them. Unfortunately, the enlisted men were sent to one of the worst POW camps while officers went to a somewhat better POW camp. (It turned out that the officers' camp was the very one portrayed in the movie "The Great Escape," which true event had just taken place before our man in this story gets there.)
Because most of the French would not turn them in, most of the crew were able to escape. It was true that some civilians were afraid to help downed Americans. George Starks, the bomber pilot whose experience is the main focus of the book, never blamed people for being too scared to help him. The Germans would kill anybody who helped the Allies and often torture them before killing them.
Nevertheless, George found that an awful lot of the French were willing to help. They gave him civilian clothes to wear, food - often when they did not have enough to feed themselves - and a place to spend the night, even if it was in a barn. Often they gave him a real bed.
What really impressed George, though, was when he met Maurice Beverel. When other people guided George and also - unbeknownst to him - his fellow evadees through train stations, they made the American airmen keep their distance by walking many paces behind their guides. Maurice kept George beside him as they wandered through crowds of German soldiers at the train station. George asked if Maurice didn't want him to keep his distance. "Is that what the other guides made you do?" asked Maurice. "They were afraid," he concluded almost scornfully. Maurice was not afraid of much. George later found out that Maurice traveled all over eastern France, including Normandy, and then slipped over the Swiss border and reported German troop movements to U.S. intelligence officers. Then he slipped back into France where he acted as a guide to many downed Allied servicemen as well as many civilians who were trying to escape the Germans.
This being a true story, as told to the competent author Carole Avriett, the reader might have to live with some unanswered questions that a novelist probably would have resolved. For example, we can only guess at why one of the members of the crew did not participate in the project of telling their memories to Mrs. Avriett. It seems that nine of the ten crew members had trained together whereas the co-pilot had been a last-minute replacement. He must never have felt close to the other men, so he never shared his experiences with them and is glaringly left out of this book despite George having reached out to him. For whatever reason, he left himself out.
Two members of the crew were helped by an American named Joe who was code-named Frisco. Frisco had lived in France for many years. The Germans had killed his French wife and child. He fought for revenge and was a little crazy. As he helped two of the crewmen over the border, Frisco covered them by getting into a gun battle with pursuing German troops while his charges ran and tumbled over the finish line. Was Frisco killed, or captured and then killed, or did he escape to fight another day? We don't know.
Two crew members went over the Pyrenees mountains into Spain, but most of the successful escapees went to Switzerland. There they were forced to stay because of an official agreement between the Swiss and Germans that American servicemen who made it to Switzerland would not be allowed to go back to fighting Germany. (In the old days, at least, POWs were often actually set free on a promise that they would retire from the war and not go back to fighting.) In a remarkable turn of events, George and some other American servicemen got tired of being on vacation in Switzerland and tried to get back in the war by recrossing the border into France; however, the U.S. Army wouldn't let them go back to flying and sent them home instead.
Some of the book, at the beginning and the end, tells how George went back to France several times beginning in 1969 and visited the people who had helped him, especially Maurice who became a close friend. Inevitably, every time George went back, some of his wartime helpers had died. Finally, even Maurice died, killed in a car accident. As of 2015, however, George was still alive and determined to go back even if no one he remembered was there anymore. There was also a reunion at one point of the remaining members of the crew who met at George's home in Florida.
The stories of most of the other crewmen are not given short shrift. Irv Baum's experience stands out. He and Ted Badder were captured and sent to the same POW camp. Irv came originally from the same county in New York where my partner grew up. (My partner even recognized when I read to her from this book that the author made a typo: the town given as "Middleton, New York" should be "Middletown" instead.) Irv was Jewish, and he was lucky that he wasn't treated a lot worse than he was by the Germans. At one point, a prison camp registrar, who obviously suspected that Irv was Jewish, insisted that Irv not leave blank the space on his form for religious affiliation. At that moment, something happened to distract the registrar and he turned around. At the same time, the guard standing next to Irv took the pencil from his hand and wrote "Protestant" for him. Irv and the guard looked at each other, but never exchanged a word. Evidently never saw each other again.
That is just a taste of what this book is like. Each crew member had a somewhat or even very different experience. What is remarkable is that every one of the ten made it home in one piece, physically if not necessarily psychologically.
The meaning of the title - "Coffin Corner Boys" - is that their assigned position in the layered, box-like formation of their bomber unit, in one particular lower corner of the formation, was where the odds were highest of being shot down. Apparently, the newest bomber crew was assigned this slot. The one complaint I have is that it is never explained why this corner was different from, say, the opposite corner. Why did the planes in the other corners not have the same rate of being shot down?
On the side of the downed airmen was the fact that the French civilians hated the Germans for occupying their country. Some of the French police were willing to turn over members of the American bomber crew to the Germans, which is what happened to a few of them. Unfortunately, the enlisted men were sent to one of the worst POW camps while officers went to a somewhat better POW camp. (It turned out that the officers' camp was the very one portrayed in the movie "The Great Escape," which true event had just taken place before our man in this story gets there.)
Because most of the French would not turn them in, most of the crew were able to escape. It was true that some civilians were afraid to help downed Americans. George Starks, the bomber pilot whose experience is the main focus of the book, never blamed people for being too scared to help him. The Germans would kill anybody who helped the Allies and often torture them before killing them.
Nevertheless, George found that an awful lot of the French were willing to help. They gave him civilian clothes to wear, food - often when they did not have enough to feed themselves - and a place to spend the night, even if it was in a barn. Often they gave him a real bed.
What really impressed George, though, was when he met Maurice Beverel. When other people guided George and also - unbeknownst to him - his fellow evadees through train stations, they made the American airmen keep their distance by walking many paces behind their guides. Maurice kept George beside him as they wandered through crowds of German soldiers at the train station. George asked if Maurice didn't want him to keep his distance. "Is that what the other guides made you do?" asked Maurice. "They were afraid," he concluded almost scornfully. Maurice was not afraid of much. George later found out that Maurice traveled all over eastern France, including Normandy, and then slipped over the Swiss border and reported German troop movements to U.S. intelligence officers. Then he slipped back into France where he acted as a guide to many downed Allied servicemen as well as many civilians who were trying to escape the Germans.
This being a true story, as told to the competent author Carole Avriett, the reader might have to live with some unanswered questions that a novelist probably would have resolved. For example, we can only guess at why one of the members of the crew did not participate in the project of telling their memories to Mrs. Avriett. It seems that nine of the ten crew members had trained together whereas the co-pilot had been a last-minute replacement. He must never have felt close to the other men, so he never shared his experiences with them and is glaringly left out of this book despite George having reached out to him. For whatever reason, he left himself out.
Two members of the crew were helped by an American named Joe who was code-named Frisco. Frisco had lived in France for many years. The Germans had killed his French wife and child. He fought for revenge and was a little crazy. As he helped two of the crewmen over the border, Frisco covered them by getting into a gun battle with pursuing German troops while his charges ran and tumbled over the finish line. Was Frisco killed, or captured and then killed, or did he escape to fight another day? We don't know.
Two crew members went over the Pyrenees mountains into Spain, but most of the successful escapees went to Switzerland. There they were forced to stay because of an official agreement between the Swiss and Germans that American servicemen who made it to Switzerland would not be allowed to go back to fighting Germany. (In the old days, at least, POWs were often actually set free on a promise that they would retire from the war and not go back to fighting.) In a remarkable turn of events, George and some other American servicemen got tired of being on vacation in Switzerland and tried to get back in the war by recrossing the border into France; however, the U.S. Army wouldn't let them go back to flying and sent them home instead.
Some of the book, at the beginning and the end, tells how George went back to France several times beginning in 1969 and visited the people who had helped him, especially Maurice who became a close friend. Inevitably, every time George went back, some of his wartime helpers had died. Finally, even Maurice died, killed in a car accident. As of 2015, however, George was still alive and determined to go back even if no one he remembered was there anymore. There was also a reunion at one point of the remaining members of the crew who met at George's home in Florida.
The stories of most of the other crewmen are not given short shrift. Irv Baum's experience stands out. He and Ted Badder were captured and sent to the same POW camp. Irv came originally from the same county in New York where my partner grew up. (My partner even recognized when I read to her from this book that the author made a typo: the town given as "Middleton, New York" should be "Middletown" instead.) Irv was Jewish, and he was lucky that he wasn't treated a lot worse than he was by the Germans. At one point, a prison camp registrar, who obviously suspected that Irv was Jewish, insisted that Irv not leave blank the space on his form for religious affiliation. At that moment, something happened to distract the registrar and he turned around. At the same time, the guard standing next to Irv took the pencil from his hand and wrote "Protestant" for him. Irv and the guard looked at each other, but never exchanged a word. Evidently never saw each other again.
That is just a taste of what this book is like. Each crew member had a somewhat or even very different experience. What is remarkable is that every one of the ten made it home in one piece, physically if not necessarily psychologically.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2022
This is a fascinatingly told tale about a group of airmen whose plane was downed in German occupied France during WWII. The key story teller is the pilot, George Starks. His trip across France to Switzerland is fraught with danger and near capture events. Alone, he walks, rides a wobbling old bike, and is transported by Frenchmen to reach safety. But this is not just his story. It's the story of ten men, all of whom were on that fated plane.
Some where captured immediately while others almost made it out of France before encountering German soldiers. These men found themselves in German POW camps, sometimes transported again and again to other sites. And, as the war continued camp conditions worsened with little food, deplorable living conditions, lice and disease yet somehow all survived.
Others, including Starks, encountered many caring individuals who helped travel across the country. Those who reached a safety were helped by French men and women who hated the Germans and risked their lives and the lives of their families. Some of the incidents were downright daring, especially the one where a doctor hides the airman in the back of his car below a blanket and lhis medical supplies, driving brazenly through four German checkpoints. He saved numerous soldiers because it was the right thing to do. But, for Starks this was not the end of the story. Time and again he traveled to France to thank and meet those who had helped him. He never forgot the braved souls who risked everything for him. Wonderful story!
Some where captured immediately while others almost made it out of France before encountering German soldiers. These men found themselves in German POW camps, sometimes transported again and again to other sites. And, as the war continued camp conditions worsened with little food, deplorable living conditions, lice and disease yet somehow all survived.
Others, including Starks, encountered many caring individuals who helped travel across the country. Those who reached a safety were helped by French men and women who hated the Germans and risked their lives and the lives of their families. Some of the incidents were downright daring, especially the one where a doctor hides the airman in the back of his car below a blanket and lhis medical supplies, driving brazenly through four German checkpoints. He saved numerous soldiers because it was the right thing to do. But, for Starks this was not the end of the story. Time and again he traveled to France to thank and meet those who had helped him. He never forgot the braved souls who risked everything for him. Wonderful story!
May 25, 2022
Excellent account of Lt. George Starks, a WWII American pilot of a B-12 bomber and his nine-member crew who were shot down over German-occupied France on their first mission from England to Germany. All ten survived, and all were determined to get out of France in whatever way possible. Most of the crew were separated as they parachuted from the plane, and the book describes what happened to each person or group. Some were helped by members of the French resistance; others were captured and sent to POW camps; all were helped by ordinary citizens. Injuries, depression, hunger, imprisonment, and homesickness didn’t deter these men (boys, mostly, as their average age was 22!). The author spent three years interviewing George and the families of his crew members, and sifting through their photos, journals and diaries. Accompanied by personal photos and maps, these first-person narratives added to the authenticity of this story.
After the war, George Starks reunited with his crew and eventually returned to France to see if he could find, and thank, those people who helped him survive. This alone was heartwarming as George never forgot those who helped him survive and eventually escape, and found ways to not only thank but honor them. A story I will not soon forget.
After the war, George Starks reunited with his crew and eventually returned to France to see if he could find, and thank, those people who helped him survive. This alone was heartwarming as George never forgot those who helped him survive and eventually escape, and found ways to not only thank but honor them. A story I will not soon forget.
June 2, 2022
B-17 crew members in WWII’s average age was 22. When co-author and prime subject of this book enlisted he was only 19. Assigned to the 92d Bomb Group, George’s crew on their first mission was assigned to the #6 low squadron low group position in the formation called the Coffin Corner. True to its nickname and position of vulnerability, their plane was shot down on March 16th, 1944 while flying at 25,000. The entire crew managed to safely bail out but were scattered all over the place. This book, published in 2018, tells the story of how they all managed to get to freedom, whether it was through spending time at Stalag Luft prison camp, trekking through the Pyrenees Mountains with the aid of the French Resistance, or finding their way to Spain. They would all survive and in 1969—25 years later—George would reunite everyone in France where they would celebrate with those who aided their survival. Many would go on to marry, have children and lead successful professional lives after the war. This is their tale!
October 27, 2021
This is, easily, one of the best books about World War 2 that I have read. It details the story of 10 members of the flight crew of a B-17 bomber who were shot down in France while on a mission heading for Germany. As it says on the cover, all 10 made it out of the war alive which is truly a miracle. The best part about the story is that most of the chapters have the men involved telling their remembrances in their own words. All of them speak about how lucky they were to survive what they went through as well as how blessed they were to have the help of others in their ordeal. Some went to Switzerland, some went to Spain, and some were captured by the Germans. In the end all of them were able to be met by American authorities or soldiers and returned to the US alive and able to continue their lives. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the events of the war and how American service men viewed their experiences in the European theater.
December 2, 2022
This is a book about a group of 10 young men, average age was 22 years old, who were assigned to the same B-17 Bomber during WW2. After training together, they were sent overseas to England to join the 8th Air Force. They were a tight knit group. The pilot, Lt. George Starks, took command of their B-17 and on their very first mission, they were assigned to the “Coffin Corner” in the formation. It was the most dangerous position in the group and this was proven during the flight over France. They were attacked by fighters and quickly shot down. The story that follows is about how this group of young men managed to survive their ordeals. After the war, Starks, who became a dentist, returned to France to say thank you to the many people who helped him during his attempt to get to neutral Switzerland. It is an amazing story and very worthwhile reading. I recommend it without reservation.
February 19, 2019
What q quick, and delightful piece about on B-17 crew who on their first mission are assigned to fly in what is known as the "coffin corner" of the formation. In flight over France, the aircraft is attacked, and crashes with all ten members of the crew making a successful jump (they are now members of the caterpillar club.) What occurs next is an adventure, and journey for some into captivity, and some freedom. Mrs. Avriett narrates the journey through the voice of the pilot- George Starks. Also, you hear the voices of the crew members, and their journey. The number of French citizen who placed their lives, and their families in jeopardy by facilitated the journey. The friendship made because of their actions lasted a lifetime. Worth the read.
August 18, 2021
On their first mission as a crew, their B-17 was shot down and all of the crew parachuted safely. This is the story of their experience after landing in occupied France. Some of the crew were captured and spent time in POW camps, some of the crew escaped into Spain, some of the crew escaped into Switzerland. All survived the war. This story is about their tribulations and about the many people who risked their lives to help the downed airmen. The pilot, a twenty year old captain, escaped to Switzerland with the help of many people. He returned to France to retrace his escape route and to thank those who had risked their lives to help him. It is a great story of good luck, good people and perseverance in conditions of adversity.
July 1, 2025
A stellar example of the truth being more exciting and revealing than fiction. During World War II, this crew of a B-27, on its first mission, crashed in France. Amazingly, none of the crew died, and the majority managed to get to Switzerland or Spain without being captured. The story is terrific, but a bit thin-- the pilot and his family return to France to visit with several of their rescuers, but the book is very thin on any details about these brave people. Still a good (and true!) tale, but could have been so much better. I have come to dislike the story structure used by Jon Krakauer (flipping from one aspect of the story to another), but this book would have benefited from that approach.
April 30, 2019
This book literally brings you back in time
I really enjoyed this book. The author tells the story of the George Starks crew shutdown over France on their first mission flying their B-17 bomber. The story is so vividly and eloquently told that you feel like you are taken back in time. She accurately portrays the courage of the greatest generation and the brave people who risked everything , including their lives to help these downed airmen escape the Germans and reach safety. These stories need to be told and remembered.
I really enjoyed this book. The author tells the story of the George Starks crew shutdown over France on their first mission flying their B-17 bomber. The story is so vividly and eloquently told that you feel like you are taken back in time. She accurately portrays the courage of the greatest generation and the brave people who risked everything , including their lives to help these downed airmen escape the Germans and reach safety. These stories need to be told and remembered.
August 15, 2021
During the second World War March 1944 young Lt George Starks gets his nine man crew together to fly over Germany. Shot down in Nazi occupied France this story tells of how the young men survived and made their ways out of enemy territory or ended up being captured. Starks recalls his personal story and how many people gave him help during very difficult times. Going back to France one more time with his son they trace George's footsteps. Friendships were formed and loyalty rewarded. Fighting spirit and patriotism shown by the U.S. Army Corp and the mighty Eight Air Force.
February 1, 2023
You start this book knowing these kids are getting shot down.
The story following their harrowing escape and evasion (for some of them) or capture and horrific path into occupied Europe. Stories of avoiding little walled French towns, hiding in resistance attics, and skiing to freedom in Switzerland make for an interesting and captivating read.
This book is very narrowly focused on this crew, however. There were a lot of B-17s shot down, and many of them in the coffin corner. Picking this one crew over the others almost seems like a draw from a hat about who had a book written about it.
The story following their harrowing escape and evasion (for some of them) or capture and horrific path into occupied Europe. Stories of avoiding little walled French towns, hiding in resistance attics, and skiing to freedom in Switzerland make for an interesting and captivating read.
This book is very narrowly focused on this crew, however. There were a lot of B-17s shot down, and many of them in the coffin corner. Picking this one crew over the others almost seems like a draw from a hat about who had a book written about it.
June 30, 2018
Consuming!
This book was amazing. I have read my historical accounts of World War II, but this one has me enthralled from the very beginning. These men were really just boys. Boys who stepped up and did a man's job. I have a 19 year old son, imagining him in this situation is mind blowing. I have always respected the French Resistance,but this book digs deep into the lives of people who risk everything to save a life and help free their country. I could not set this book down.
This book was amazing. I have read my historical accounts of World War II, but this one has me enthralled from the very beginning. These men were really just boys. Boys who stepped up and did a man's job. I have a 19 year old son, imagining him in this situation is mind blowing. I have always respected the French Resistance,but this book digs deep into the lives of people who risk everything to save a life and help free their country. I could not set this book down.
July 31, 2018
Excellent
Just could not put this book down once I started reading it.
I am a vociferous reader of history with many books on my shelf and this is the best one I've read in the last 3 years.
What an incredibly terrifying ordeal these brave men experienced and especially rare that the entire crew survived bailing out over enemy territory!
And what makes it more remarkable is it's a true story.
Just could not put this book down once I started reading it.
I am a vociferous reader of history with many books on my shelf and this is the best one I've read in the last 3 years.
What an incredibly terrifying ordeal these brave men experienced and especially rare that the entire crew survived bailing out over enemy territory!
And what makes it more remarkable is it's a true story.
January 14, 2019
This is the second book I have read recently involving downed airmen in Europe during WW II. I continue to be amazed and impressed about the bravery and heroism displayed by so many French people who risked their lives, families and fortunes to help people they didn’t know. The crew of a B-17 bailed out after their aircraft caught on fire. They all survived, but quite a few escaped from France into Spain and Switzerland and survived the war. This is an exciting and interesting read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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