Untold Valor: Forgotten Stories of American Bomber Crews Over Europe in World War Two

Untold stories about the allied bomber offensive over Europe in WWII.

UntoldValor.com

by Rob Morris

First-hand accounts of Europe's air war from those who beat the odds

Untold Valor

Forgotten Stories of American Bomber Crews over Europe in World War II

Rob Morris

Product Details:

Paper: 304 pages; 5 x 8 inches

List Price: $19.95 Your Price: $15.96

ISBN: 1574889990

Available: March 2006

Description:

For the men of the Army Air Corps in early World War II, the chance of surviving the obligatory twenty-five missions without death, injury, or imprisonment was one in three. In this groundbreaking book, Rob Morris has sought out remarkable but little-known stories of the air war from the men who lived and fought it.

Based on hundreds of interviews with American veterans and their families, Untold Valor illuminates the courage of airmen whose exploits have until now remained untold. Read about Jewish aviators’ experiences as POWs in German camps. Learn about American airmen who were imprisoned, even killed, by the neutral Swiss and about two Air Corps enlisted men who changed U.S. policy toward liberated concentration camp survivors. Also discover the unusual story of Luftwaffe commander Herman Goering’s nephew, who flew B-17 missions against Germany. While some of the stories cover major events, most are about incidents and individuals misrepresented or overlooked by history books. Yet their efforts were vital, their lives forever changed.

Detailed and moving, Untold Valor is certain to interest the serious air historian and the casual reader alike. With a foreword by the editor of B–17s Over Berlin.

About The Author:

ROB MORRIS is a high school history and English teacher with a lifelong interest in the World War II air war. This book is his sixth. He lives near Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Reviews/Endorsements:

"This strong collection of tales of heroism is long overdue, for it salutes airmen who conducted Medal of Honor-worthy acts of courage, but whose stories were never told. Rob Morris does a terrific job of bringing these stories to life, and the variety of his subject matter is both intriguing and entrancing." --Walter J. Boyne, former director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and author of BEYOND THE WILD BLUE: A HISTORY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE

"Rob Morris has compiled a fascinating collection of first-hand accounts by veterans of the Mighty Eighth and the U.S. Fifteenth Air Force. . . . A major contribution to the history of the Second World War." --From the introduction by Ian Hawkins, military historian and author of B-17s OVER BERLIN: PERSONAL STORIES OF THE 95th BOMB GROUP

News Update: In July, 2008, the Second Printing of Untold Valor sold out. The publisher, Potomac Books, has run a third pressing. This third pressing will be available by the third week in August. Untold Valor continues to be one of the top selling WWII aviation books on Amazon and is featured in museums and libraries across the United States and in Great Britain.

AUTHOR'S BACKGROUND

Rob Morris is a dedicated World War II researcher and former pilot with a degree in History from the University of Montana. A married resident of Ammon, Idaho, with three children, he has taught in public schools there and in Wyoming for 23 years. This is his fifth published book.

The Evolution of Untold Valor, from Inception through August 2008.

The author began writing the book in the fall of 2000. A high school teacher, he did research and correspondence during the school year and made air and car trips around the United States to visit and interview the men who grace the pages of the book. Interview sites included Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, PA; Cherry Hill, NJ; Canton, OH; Spokane, WA; Wilson, WY; Salt Lake City, UT. Morris ultimately conducted hundreds of interviews. He narrowed the scope of the book down to fifteen specific chapters of stories he felt had been overlooked.

2005 Untold Valor is first published by Xlibris, a small, print-on-demand publisher from Philadelphia.
The original cover of the Xlibris edition is shown here:
In early 2005, the book becomes a featured title on the Mighty Eighth Air Force Message Board on the web.
March 2005, it sells its first copies overseas, to England and Denmark.
April 2005. Sales begin to rise nationwide, and favorable reviews begin to appear.
April 2005, the book sells its first copy in Switzerland, prominently covered in two chapters dealing with harsh Swiss treatment of internees.
June 2005, Untold Valor makes the short list of 'Great Summer Reading' books in the June issue of the 8th Air Force Historical Society Magazine, "The Eighth Air Force News".
July 2005, Untold Valor purchased by Potomac Books, the US's leading publisher of military and aviation history.
March 2006: Untold Valor released by Potomac Books.
February 2007: Untold Valor sells out of first printing and goes into second printing.

May 2007: Untold Valor released in second printing.

July 2007: Untold Valor hits #1 on Amazon in Aviation Book Category

Christmas 2007: Untold Valor sells its 3,000th copy with Potomac and stays regularly in the top ten aviation books on Amazon.

July, 2008: Untold Valor sells out of its second printing, and has sold over 4,000 copies to date.

Reviews of Untold Valor

"I just finished reading Untold Valor. It is a very easy and interesting read. Reading each chapter almost makes you feel like you are a participant in the story action. Once I started reading I didn't want to put the book down. Congratulations in writing Untold Valor. It is now a treasured addition to my library." --- Harry Gobrecht, World War II B-17 Combat Pilot and Historian Emeritus of the 303rd Bomb Group (Hell's Angels), 358th Squadron.

"This strong collection of tales of heroism is long overdue, for it salutes airmen who conducted Medal of Honor-worthy acts of courage, but whose stories were never told. Rob Morris does a terrific job of bringing these stories to life, and the variety of his subject matter is both intriguing and entrancing." --Walter J. Boyne, former director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and author of BEYOND THE WILD BLUE: A HISTORY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE

"Your book arrived. The prologue is excellent as it captures the pulse and feel of old flyers." --- Hap Halloran, B-29

officer and POW in Japan, 1945.

"I like the total absence of the traditional, bombastic, patriotic, glamorous tone of many war-related books...I admire the humanity and down-to-earth testimony of the persons described and interviewed. I am especially pleased to note the awareness of the political and humanitarian aspects of the personal experiences and reflections. And the evil, anti-Semitism and cruelty of the Germans, without losing sight of the terrible suffering of the victims of aerial bombardment are dealt with sensitively and intelligently." -- Former WWII U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Leo Packer, veteran of 4 campaigns in Europe.

"Rob Morris has compiled a fascinating collection of first-hand accounts by veterans of the Mighty Eighth and the Fifteenth Air Forces over a period of five years of research and coast-to-coast travel. The finished product is a major contribution to the history of the Second World War." -- Ian Hawkins, Aviation Historian and author of "B-17s Over Berlin: Personal Stories from the 95th Bomb Group (H), Munster: Before and After, and Destroyer: An Anthology of First-Hand Accounts of the War At Sea 1939-1945, in his Introduction to Untold Valor.

"I read your book 'Untold Valor' with great interest, pride and awe of the outstanding people therein...I know firsthand how indebted we are to these outstanding individuals. I spent approximately six months in 'A Place Called St. Otillian' as a nine or ten year old orphan of the holocaust and benefited greatly from the accomplishments of Bob Hilliard and Edward Herman which you describe in the first chapter...Thank you for writing this great book." -- Steven Gure, WWII Holocaust Survivor.

"I picked up the book and could not put it down. What a collection of stories! I felt I was right there next to the tellers as they related their experiences. Very powerful!" -- George Koesters, a Reader.

"Untold Valor is probably the most complete and accurate book that I have had the opportunity to read. I am a World War II veteran in the European Theatre of Operations with five major battle stars, and I highly recommend everyone read this book. Untold Valor is the book." ----- George D. Le Delle, World War II Veteran, landed on Utah Beach on D-Day.

"Rob Morris' book is one for those who are familiar with the stories of airmen in World War II...Morris set out to write a different type of book...in searching out material for his chapters, he focused on those experiences that related to the human experience, the unusual untold tales, tales not found in other published works, tales of the human spirit...This <is a> noticeably different book." --- Book Review, 8th Air Force News, June 2005, published by the Eighth Air Force Historical Society, in book review section "for great summer reading".

SYNOPSIS

While much has been written about the American bomber offensive in Europe during WW II, some of the most valiant stories were never recorded until now. In this groundbreaking book, Rob Morris reveals hidden history of the allied air war you will not soon forget.

Incredible but true, Herman Goering’s nephew, a B-17 aircraft commander, flies

missions over Berlin, accompanied by a mysterious sharp-shooting copilot on a top-secret assignment.

In harrowing aerial combat brought to life by the author, ball turret gunners suspended beneath B-17 Flying Fortresses 20,000 feet in the air at temperatures 30 below zero fight off fierce swarms of German interceptors.

Allied airmen shot down during the battles are imprisoned or killed in neutral Switzerland while Jewish crew members become prisoner of war guests in a country committed to their obliteration.

Two Air Corps enlisted men change U.S policy towards displaced concentration

camp survivors in liberated Germany and earn the wrath of Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. Young male and female aviators die in training accidents because of rushed maneuvers and defective equipment.

Twin brothers, both aerial gunners, suffer different fates in the skies above Europe, only to reunite on VE Day in London. A captured B-17 pilot begins an anti-war novel in his German Stalag—a book that will take him 50 years to complete. An airman witnesses the Holocaust up close, then creates a piece of artwork that becomes internationally famous.

Fifteen chapters in all, illustrated abundantly with rare vintage WWII photographs, Untold Valor springs into action from hundreds of interviews conducted by the author. As a result of Rob Morris’ numerous conversations substantiated by

meticulous research, his book is certain to capture the fancy of serious aviation historians and casual readers alike.

Illustrated Previews of Sample Chapters Below.

Jewish Airmen

The Star of David Over the Swastika, a chapter that features extensive interviews with Jewish airman, documents the special peril faced by these brave men. A seperate chapter deals with Jewish airmen who ended up as Prisoners of War in a nation dedicated to their destruction.

The photo above shows the 95th Bomb Group's "Ten Knights in a Bar Room", piloted by Johnny Johnson, returning from one of the European air war's longest over-water missions. The plane, smoking and on fire, its tail and wing burning through, limped home behind the formation. Bombardier Leonard Herman, a young Jewish airman, prays inside the nose cone of the crippled craft. Mr. Herman is one of five men currently under consideration for a belated Medal of Honor.

Goering Bombs Germany

Werner Goering, the nephew of Luftwaffe chief Herman Goering, and an American citizen, flew bombing missions over Germany as a command pilot for the 303rd Bomb Group. He was accompanied by his copilot, Jack Rencher, a sharpshooting, straight-talking Arizonan with a top-secret mission. Read about it in the chapter "Goering Bombs Germany".

The Hand

As a young Prisoner of War, B-17 crewman Lee Kessler witnessed a terrible war crime near the Mauthausen Concentration Camp. He captured it in a drawing which would become a symbol of the horrors of the Holocaust and which would be shown throughout the world. Read about it in the chapter 'The Hand'. Above is Lee Kessler with the original of 'The Hand' in his home in Ohio.

Ball Turret Gunner

One of the unsung heroes of the bomber war, the ball turret gunner, survived in his cramped ball for hours at a time, at forty below zero, suspended from the belly of the ship. This position, which combined man's deadliest fears of cramped spaces, heights, and death, could only be filled by a special breed of man. Extensive interviews with two of them create the first in-depth study of ball turret gunners. It's all in the chapter "Ball Turret Gunner".

The Untold Story of American Airmen in Switzerland During World War Two

If he attempted escape, an American airman who ended up in Switerland might find himself in a Swiss federal prison run by a sadistic Swiss Nazi named Andre Beguin. Both the U.S. and Swiss government denied the existence of the camp, Wauwilermoos, until many years after the war. Read the story of one young B-24 gunner who ended up there, and his struggle for survival, in the chapter 'Black Hell of Wauwilermoos'. Also read about American airmen who were shot down by the neutral Swiss. All were interviewed for this book and shed new light on the Swiss role in the air war in World War Two.

Hell's Angels and Memphis Belle: First To Finish

Every American has heard about the Memphis Belle, but how many know about Hell's Angels? This 303rd B-17 finished its missions a few days before the Belle, but has been eclipsed ever since. Read about their duel to reach 25 missions, and about how a young moviemaker named William Wyler made one bomber crew some of the most famous Americans of World War Two.

The 303rd's most famous B-17, Hells Angels

The Reunion

At twenty, B-17 pilot Lyle Shafer barely escaped from an exploding B-17 with his life. He sat out the rest of the war in a German POW camp, and while there, took the names and addresses of all his mates in hopes of meeting again after the war. Fifty years later, armed only with this list, Lyle set out to find them all and bring them together again at 'The Reunion'.

A wounded Lyle Shafer in a photo taken shortly after his capture.

Photo above shows Lyle Shafer and fellow POWS, newly liberated by the Russians in front of their stalag barracks.

These stories and many more in 'Untold Valor'. Get your copy today.

The book is widely available at any fine bookseller, including Barnes and Noble, and is availabe online from any major bookseller, including Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

Orders can be made from Potomac by clicking on this link: http://www.potomacbooksinc.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=128753

Where are the men of Untold Valor now?

Many readers have asked about the men whose stories are contained in the pages of Untold Valor. Sadly, some of them have passed away. I offer this

In Memorium Salute to these fallen heroes:

Frederick 'Fred' Schoch

Lee Kessler

Herbert Alf

Robert Morgan

Robert 'Rosie' Rosenthal

Nathaniel 'Gus' Mencow

Basil 'Lyle' Shafer

Frank Murphy

E. Edward Herman