Home Run: Great Raf Escapes of the Second World War

Throughout the Second World War, the first duty of Allied airmen brought down in enemy territory was to evade capture and make good their return to Britain. Preventing this was a major preoccupation of the Germans - both sides knew that it took much time and expense to train pilots and aircrew.
Home Run collects the dramatic stories of some of those who succeeded in evading their hunters. They are stories of great courage and endurance, not only of the escapers, but also of those who helped them; the penalty for those who hid, succoured and guided downed airmen, if they were caught, was death. Inevitably, there were rotten apples among the helpers; one of the most fascinating pieces in this book tells of a British confidence trickster who, while he certainly helped some of the evaders on their way, equally certainly betrayed others - and many of his colleagues - to the enemy. Here, too, is the engaging story of another confidence trickster, this time a Luftwaffe officer, who conned his way to freedom - and decoration by Adolf Hitler for deeds he had not done.
Richard Townshend Bickers's latest book is a very readable collection of accounts which, if we did not know them to be true, would be almost impossible to believe. It is also a tribute not only to the triumph of the human spirit over every kind of adversity, but also to the almost limitless extent of human ingenuity and daring.