Flight of Eagles

Of the 1700 American airmen of the 8th and 9th US Army Air Forces who parachuted or crash landed into northwest Europe in December 1943 only 121 evaders made it back to Allied control to continue the fight. These are the stories of the successful evasion of capture by those American airmen. Based on their interrogation and the detailed handwritten reports submitted within days of their escape by sea or via Spain, Andorra and Switzerland. These records were classified as secret for many years after the war had ended. This account reveals the hardships, compassion and occasional humour of their journeys through Nazi-controlled Europe. Journeys aided by the organised evasion lines, MI-9 agents, the Maquis, the Dutch Underground, the Belgian Secret Army but mostly by ordinary citizens who often made the greatest sacrifices of all in their struggle to aid the Allies and resist the occupation by a ruthless regime that would stop at nothing to crush those who dared to help.These accounts include twists and turns in the deadly game of hide and seek played against the Gestapo and the Abwehr in journeys through the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain. Failure could mean brutal interrogation, torture and execution for those that helped the airmen - and for the airmen themselves.