Customer Reviews

Missing In Action

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This book was more than I expected. I am interested in the MIA's of both sides from WWII, and I stumbled upon this book while doing a keyword search.
It is a factual, thorough look at the mostly terrifying, sometimes mundane and occasionally humorous result of American bombers from the 465th Bomb Group shot down during the final year of WWII. The book provides the names of each aircrew member, their aircraft ID, where and when they were shot down or came down because of mechanical issues while on bombing missions.
Some entries are short and sweet, but others are fleshed out with witness statements, the words of surviving crew, reports from the German military and sometimes even civilians on the ground.
I think a little known fact from this book is that even "friendly" civilians were so enraged at the bombing of their areas that they attacked and even killed American crew members...some were only saved by intervening German soldiers. And falling into partisan and/or Russian hands wasn't always a guarantee of a hardy welcome!
Interesting, informative book.

This is a great book detailing the stories of the 465th Bomb Group Crews that went down over Ploesti. My grandfather, Jarmar Jancarik, was on one of the crews that was shot down on 6 June 44 (D-Day). The story of his plane, the Hells Belle, being shot down and his capture are included in the book. Most of the information Moxley uses was acquired from the declassified Missing Air Crew Reports and other historical documents. This book serves as a testament to the bravery of all those who flew missions into occupied europe