Shot down in 1942, young Australian fighter pilot John Williams DFC became a POW in the notorious Stalag Luft III camp in Germany. John had joined the air force shortly before the outbreak of war and, in the larrikin tradition, led his squadron into air combat over the deserts of Libya and Egypt dressed in sandals and shorts.
John and his best mate Rusty Kierath were among the 76 POWs who tunnelled their way out of the supposedly escape-proof camp under the noses of their German guards in what later became the Hollywood blockbuster, The Great Escape. Their families never learned what really happened once the pair made it out into the forest.
John's niece Louise Williams has pieced together his life, from his upbringing in a tight-knit family hit hard by the Depression, to his exploits in the air, and the many missing details of the tragic escape. It is a powerful and intimate story of one of the most dramatic episodes of World War II.
'A riveting tale, superbly told' - Peter FitzSimons, author and journalist
'A brilliant achievement. Louise Williams reminds us that the story of the Great Escape should not be owned by Hollywood, but rather by the families of those who made the greatest sacrifice.' - Guy Walters, author of The Real Great Escape
By:
Louise Williams
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 128mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 348g
ISBN: 9781760296148
ISBN 10: 1760296147
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 29 March 2017
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction 1 The lost letter 2 The other side of the wire 3 How to tell a true war story 4 Great expectations - the making of a young man 5 The next leg 6 Introducing Michal 7 Paradise on sea 8 In search of a decent education 9 The arrest 10 The rise of an Aussie icon 11 Choosing the future 12 The mother country 13 Ivo Tonder - the last glimpse 14 In search of the elusive English gentleman 15 Scotland, and the brave 16 The first POW 17 The Australians are coming 18 Out in Africa 19 A tale of two men and two messes 20 To war in the desert 21 Reunion 22 Holding your nerve 23 Flipping the bird 24 A big flap 25 While we still have breath in our bodies 26 Down but not out 27 The face of the enemy 28 In the bag 29 Big X 30 Second time unlucky 31 The swimming pool 32 Another German friend 33 Cooking and carpentry 34 A ticket in the lottery 35 Shuffling the cards 36 The bereaved mother's badge 37 In Memoriam 38 Surfing at Manly Postscript - the lost letter, found Notes Bibliography Acknowledgements Index
Louise Williams is an award-winning writer, journalist and editor, and niece of John Williams. She has recreated John's story from family memories, letters, declassified documents, oral histories and interviews with survivors of the Great Escape.
Reviews for A True Story of the Great Escape: A young Australian POW in the most audacious breakout of WWII
A riveting tale, superbly told. --Peter FitzSimons, author, Gallipoli
