The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi Occupied France

Narrated by:
Jonathan Todd Ross

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
18
Narrator
9
Release Date
January 2016
Duration
9 hours 38 minutes
Summary
For fans of Unbroken, the remarkable, untold story of World War II American Air Force turret-gunner Staff Sergeant Arthur Meyerowitz, who was shot down over Nazi-occupied France and evaded Gestapo pursuers for more than six months before escaping to freedom. Bronx-born top turret-gunner Arthur Meyerowitz was on his second mission when he was shot down in 1943. He was one of only two men on the B-24 Liberator known as 'Harmful Lil Armful' who escaped death or immediate capture on the ground. After fleeing the wreck, Arthur knocked on the door of an isolated farmhouse, whose owners hastily took him in. Fortunately, his hosts not only despised the Nazis but had a tight connection to the French resistance group Morhange and its founder, Marcel Taillandier. Arthur and Taillandier formed an improbable bond as the resistance leader arranged for Arthur's transfers among safe houses in southern France, shielding him from the Gestapo. Based on recently declassified material, exclusive personal interviews, and extensive research into the French Resistance, The Lost Airman tells the tense and riveting story of Arthur's trying months in Toulouse-masquerading as a deaf mute and working with a downed British pilot to evade the Nazis-and of his hair-raising journey to freedom involving a perilous trek over the Pyrenees and a voyage aboard a fishing boat with U-boats lurking below and Luftwaffe fighters looming above. With photographs and maps included, this is a never-before-told true story of endurance, perseverance, and escape during World War II.
Reviews
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Herb B.

This is an interesting read about an otherwise anonymous WWII veteran that did nothing of note to earn histories appreciation. But it proves that his generation had nerves of steel, determination, and the pure guts to do dangerous things that seem stupid, but need to be done. The author did a really good job illuminating what the French Resistance was able to accomplish, and the hazards they worked through. It will give you a deeper sense of awe for what it took to get airmen (or anyone) out of Nazi occupied territory. Reading through the lines, you can easily get a sense of the resources Germany put into maintaining France as a safe place for German soldiers. I have to say, in realizing just how much effort, money, and manpower the Nazi's must have put into occupying France alone, thank God those resources weren't thrown at the front lines. One distracting thing, for me, is that the book is clearly written from a family viewpoint. This is fine, it just makes for some awkward moments where it jumps off the page and gets in your face. But it doesn't otherwise distract from the story or change the tension of a passage. The narrator did a good job of pacing and relating tension, along with the more lighthearted and touching moments.

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Anonymous

This is a spell binding account of the hell our servicemen endured during WWll. Average men doing extraordinary deeds. I highly recommend it.

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Allen F.

Good listen .

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Jeffrey S.

I can not think of any words that would do this book justice. so I'll just say this book is incredible. if you like history and want to learn about the French resistance during WW2 and what they did this will give you a little insight.

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Terry T.

Great story

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Anonymous

I do not wish to demean this Veterans story or the French who helped him. But there are so many historical inaccuracies in the beginning that minimal research could have cleared up I find it hard to trust what follows.

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Keith K.

Unbelievable action and thrills. Amazing book!

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