Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner of War [Paperback]

John L. Lenburg (Author), Jeff Lenburg (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2002

"Not in vain may be the pride of those who survived and the epitaph of those who fell."-Winston Churchill June 30, 1944, fifty members of the United States 460th Bomb Group embarked on an important mission to attack German oil refineries in Silesia, Hungary, only to come under heavy attack. Firing 20-millimeter canons, a large formation of German fighters blasted seven B-24s out of the sky. Seventeen U.S. airmen were killed, 24 were captured. Many were badly burned or wounded, others beaten to death by Hungarian peasants after parachuting to the ground.This single event marked the beginning of a heart-wrenching episode in the life of one airman: T/Sgt. John L. Lenburg. On his thirty-sixth mission, he was one of the unlucky ones shot down over enemy lines and to become a prisoner of war (or "Kriegsgenfangenen #6410", the code name the Germans gave him), never to know if he would see his homeland again.Kriegsgenfangenen #6410: Prisoner of War is Lenburg's remarkable story of his imprisonment and walk to freedom nearly a year after his capture. Recalling the horrific conditions of his encampment, the missions and memories of his crew members and the reunions of those few who survived fifty years later, this illustrated biography demonstrates why Lenburg and his crew were "the greatest generation" of their time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner of War by John L. Lenburg is a stirring account of Lenburg's experiences in the Army Air Forces during World War II and particularly his time in a Nazi prison camp. The resilience he and other prisoners showed is why they are part of 'the greatest generation.'"--Indianapolis Star

About the Author

John L. Lenburg is author of two books, including a multi-volume Lenburg ancestry based on more than a decade of genealogy research. Lenburg retired to northwest Indiana after working 30 years as a manager with Sears Roebuck & Co. and frequently lectured about his days as a prisoner of war.

Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (June 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595223052
• ISBN-13: 978-0595223053
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,841,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeff Lenburg is an award-winning author of 30 popular non-fiction and fiction books that have have been nominated for several awards, including the American Library Association's 'Best Non-Fiction Award' and the Evangelical Christian Publisher Association's 'Gold Medallion Award' for 'Best Autobiography/Biography.'

As a teenager, Jeff began interviewing many famous Hollywood personalities and became a frequent contributor to many leading and respected film journals and magazines that published his freelance work.

Jeff's most recently published titles include his forthcoming guide to a career in film, television and games animation, "Career Opportunities in Animation" (Ferguson Publishing); his revised second edition of his acclaimed writing and research reference, "The Facts On File Guide to Research"; his third of edition of so-called "Bible" on the history of more than 3,100 animated cartoons, "The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons" (Facts On File); and his first critically-acclaimed mystery novel, "Scared to Death: A Lori Matrix Hollywood Mystery" (iUniverse).

One of the nation's premier celebrity biographers, Jeff has penned such best-selling biographies as "All The Gold In California and Other Places, People & Things" (Thomas Nelson Publishers), the autobiography of Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin; "Peekaboo: The Story of Veronica Lake" (St. Martin's Press); "Dudley Moore: An Informal Biography" (Delilah Books); "Dustin Hoffman: Hollywood's Antihero" (St. Martin's Press); "Steve Martin: An Unauthorized Biography" (St. Martin's Press), and numerous others. He also co-wrote with radio/TV legend Gary Owens the long-awaited autobiographical 'how-to,' "How to Make a Million Dollars With Your Voice (Or Lose Your Tonsils Trying)"(McGraw Hill).

An acknowledged authority on cartoon animation, Jeff has spent three decades preserving its history. He has penned seven books about this lively art: the first-ever "Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film and Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators" (Applause); three editions of "The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons" (Facts On File), the most comprehensive history on animated cartoons ever produced; "The Great Cartoon Directors" (DaCapo Press); and two editions of "The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoon Series" (Arlington House Publishers), the first reference book on animated cartoons ever produced.

In 1991, in recognition of his contributions to the world of animation, Jeff was inducted into Hollywood's 'Cartoon Legends Walk of Fame' along with cartoon icons William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Friz Freleng, June Foray and Don Messick.

Jeff is also a leading expert on the Three Stooges comedy team. A close friend of Stooges Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser and Joe DeRita (and the only author-historian to have known them), he has co-written two books about this wacky comedy trio: "The Three Stooges Scrapbook'(Citadel Press), the official, authorized history, and "Once A Stooge, Always A Stooge" (Roundtable Publishing), the autobiography of Three Stooges member Joe Besser. In 1983, along with radio-TV legend Gary Owens and his twin brother Greg, he spearheaded a nationwide write-in campaign that earned the Stooges their long overdue star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A long-time baseball enthusiast, Jeff is also the author of the critically acclaimed, definitive history of baseball's mid-summer classic, "Baseball's All-Star Game: A Game-by-Game Guide" (McFarland & Company).

Likewise Jeff has interviewed dozens of other major personalities, world figures and headline-makers, including baseball Hall of Famers George Brett and Nolan Ryan, tennis champ Chris Evert, former First Lady Betty Ford, media magnate Walter Annenberg (founder of "TV Guide"), and former New York policeman Frank Serpico.

A popular media figure, Jeff has appeared on more than 100 major radio and television programs worldwide, including "BBC Live," NBC's "Today Show," "Entertainment Tonight," CNN's "Showbiz Today," and E!'s "Mysteries & Scandals." He makes his home near Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife Debby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A saga of violence, suffering, strength of character, January 5, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner of War (Paperback)

Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner Of War is the memoir of John L. Lenburg, a World War II serviceman who served with the 460th Bomb Group, and became prisoner of war in German custody when his B-24 was shot out of the sky. Lenburg was given the code name Kriegsgefangenen #6410 by his captors, and was compelled to brave truly horrific conditions of captivity for nearly a year, ultimately surviving to eventually walk to freedom. A powerful saga of violence, suffering, strength of character and the determination to persevere, Kriegsgefangenen #6410: Prisoner of War is a welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing library of World War II combatant biographies and eye-witness memoirs.