I've enjoyed two books by Brickhill, who despite these stories covering British World War Two escapes, was Australian, and a WW2 fighter pilot. The first book I ever read of his was The Dam Busters which was excellent. This volume was written directly after that one, in 1952. It tells eight tales of daring escapes in Europe and the middle, and far east.
The stories are these:
- Escape - or Die: tells the story of Charles McCormack Who was stationed in Singa[ore when the Japanese overran the place and he ended up on abrital p[rison camp. Fearing he would be tortured and killed, he made a break for it with several other soldiers and spent five months on the run through the far east jungles luckily, miraculously, and skilfully staying ahead of the enemy until finally he was free.
- Island of Resistance: is about Robert Carson who was shot down over the Netherlands, and managed to eventually hook with the the Dutch resistance until the area was overrun by the advancing British forces.
- The Women Who Took a Hand: James Dowd was shot down over the Germany city of Köln and made his escape to a northern port where he spent some scary and hairy times trying to board a ship so he could gain passage to neutral Sweden.
- The Man Who Would Not Die: Anthony Snell came down over Italy and spent his time hiding out with italian peasants and the local resistance slowly making his way into neutral Switzerland.
- Miracle in the Desert tells of John King who came down in Northern Egypt and spent his time hiking and then driving toward the British lines at El Alamein. He had more than one reversal of fortune until he finally made it out.
- The Man Who Went Prepared: for a man who tried to be completely prepared in case he was shot down, John Whitley hit one problem after another before he even touched the ground, but with the help of locals, he managed over time to make his way to neutral Spain.
- He Rode With the Cossacks: having had two escapes foiled trying to head west to Britain, the third time proved a charm for Cyril Rofe, who decided to head east, the Russian lines being closer than the British. He did indeed ride with Cossacks
- It Feels Like This: Harry Wheeler was reported killed in action because no one saw his parachute come from the Typhoon he was shot down in. He was immediately captured and in pain from schrapnel wounds he was eventually transported to a miserable hospital in Paris where he resisted attempts to transport him further east as the allies moved closer, and was evntually liberated when Paris was.
These were some amazing, inspiring, and daring stories that have already given me a couple of ideas for novels, and I commend this book as a worthy read.
