Beginning on August 17, 1942, American heavy bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force took off for combat in the hostile skies over occupied Europe. The final price was staggering. 4,300 B-17s and B-24s failed to return; nearly 28,000 men were taken prisoner or interned in a neutral country, and a further 26,000 made the ultimate sacrifice.
Luck of the Draw is more than a war story. It’s the incredible, inspiring story of Frank Murphy, one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group, who cheated death for months in a German POW
camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress. His bravery earned him the Prisoner of War Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal.
Praise for Luck of the Draw:
‘In the pursuit of authenticity, of accurate history and undeniable courage, no words matter more than, ‘I was there.’ Read Luck of the Draw and the life of Frank Murphy and ponder this: how did those boys do such things?’ Tom Hanks
‘Navigator Frank Murphy’s propulsive account of the American bomber war against Nazi Germany is also a powerful and poignant memoir of survival in a German POW compound. The book’s heart-stopping account of the brutal Winter March of the captured Allied airmen across the heart of Hitler’s dying Reich places it with Twelve O’Clock High as a classic of World War II literature.’ Donald L. Miller, author of Masters of the Air: The American Bomber Boys, Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany
The epic true story of an American hero who flew during World War II, featured in the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks TV series, Masters of the Air.
