Untold Valor: Forgotten Stories of American Bomber Crews Over Europe in World War II

In Untold Valor, Rob Morris tells the story of American Bomber crews over Europe in intricate, well researched detail. From the tale of the Memphis Belle to Hermann Goerings nephew, the stories are poignant and told with the kind of vivid detail that keeps the memory alive. This fine book is indeed a tribute to the bravery and courage of the thousands of young men who put their lives on the line for freedom at twenty thousand feet over foreign soil. There is one aspect of the tale that could be expanded on to round out the true history of the war experience. As Mr. Morris tells us, one out of every three of these brave young aviators were shot down over enemy territory. On the ground below were not only enemy soldiers, but also hundreds of equally brave Belgian, French and Dutch civilians who risked their lives to locate and shelter many of the American airmen who parachuted behind enemy lines. Over the course of the war hundreds were escorted back to Britain to continue the fight. For an equally compelling look at the war from this perspective, check out the excellent new book by Douglas W. Jacobson Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II. Congratulations to Mr. Morris for bringing us Untold Valor and keeping the memory alive.

Rob Morris has brought together accounts of service men during World War II which would probably never be known had he not talked to the very ones who went through this costly war. With these vets dying at a rate of 1000 to 2000 per day, the title to this review will not be able to be asked in the near future. This book tells about the everyday living and dying these heroes did to give us the freedom we too often take for granted. I have been a WWII history buff for as long as I can remember, but this book brings out accounts of World War II I have never heard of. Thanks Ron for bringing these truths out. A fantastic read, which I will be glad to add to my library. Garry Grier

Untold Valor is the very aptly-chosen title of the marvelous book by author Rob Morris. After years of research, Morris has told some of the most hidden stories of WWII. The stories, unfamiliar to many who seek WWII reading material, reflect the sacrifice, suffering, triumph and yes, valor of the subjects. Morris's painstaking and thorough research ensures that the stories are accurate as they reveal previously-unknown facets of the WWII experience. Far beyond the traditional wartime stories, Morris focuses on the untold experience of the Jewish POW, for instance, carrying the added burden of fear of reprisals from an anti-Semitic dictator. He tells of brave crews who survived the chilling and notorious Schweinfurt raid losing so many of their Blood 100th comrades. And Morris sought out and discovered a most unlikely and unexpected B-17 pilot following his movements throughout the war. The author has brought to light the issue of the Swiss internees who found that neutral Switzerland was not the safe haven and refugee they had expected it to be. The reader is taken into the heart of Switzerland with ex-internee, Dan Culler, as he endures one of the most harrowing confinements in a non-enemy country, only to lose the support of his own country at the war's end. In some instances, Morris ventures to take a hard look and give in-depth analysis of the strategic bombing policy during the war succinctly pointing out its flaws and the circumstances that caused the curtailment of bombing raids on oil refineries. Few ever asked what happened to the displaced persons rescued from Hitler's death camps. Many, turning a blind eye to them, failed to recognize their pitiful plight. Morris hits hard on the subject and through the medium of story telling gives an informative account and narrative on this seldom-researched area. Follow the story of the lesser-known "Hell's Angels, the B-17 that for so long was relegated to the shadows of the more famous Memphis Belle, and vicariously share the trek of an American POW on an Austrian road who by chance witnessed the horror that befell an Hungarian Jew forced laborer. Decades later that chance meeting would result in one of the most famous WWII images--a picture drawn by the American, which would grace Holocaust Museums and synagogues around the world. Only through meticulous research and the strong desire to ferret out the lesser-known stories and heroes of WWII can one achieve what Morris has achieved with this book. One moment the reader is commiserating with the interned crews in Sweden and Switzerland, and the next moment that reader is flying through the flak-riddled skies on a bombing run aside a dedicated ball turret gunner. Morris's book is a classic that will keep a reader spell bound as it pays tribute to the carefully-chosen heroes he introduces as he tells their unforgettable stories. In the re-telling, he salutes all our WWII heroes. Marilyn Walton Author of Rhapsody in Junk--A Daughte

Flying at 26,000', walking on flack, goggles fogging, the IP, the run, turn to rtb. The flack, the fighters, the hits, exploding planes. Bail out. Capture. Rob Morris tells it all from the interviews of survivors of the brutal days as POW's. These stories are only a few that could be told but Rob to got to the heart of them. A Jewish crew member flying on a mission over Schweifurt, Gus Mencow was with the group that lost 228 B-17's. On and on as only Rob could pull it together. A fantastic collection of stories of valor. Thanks Rob for a memorable book. Least we forget.

It's sad to see the ranks of our WWII veterans steadily dwindling away. With them die so many unique memories of now-faraway battles and ordinary men accomplishing extraordinary feats. That's why it's heartening to come across books like Rob Morris' UNTOLD VALOR. Fascinated by WWII air battles, Morris did just what was needed to save memories of those times, tracking down and interviewing countless veterans who flew in 8th and 15th AF bombers over Europe. Morris covers a wide variety of American experiences in the air war over Europe, relating stories of Jewish airmen at war, the 'Memphis Belle' vs. 'Hell's Angels' B-17 controversy, 8th AF internees in Switzerland, the story of Hermann Goering's nephew who flew B-17s in the 8th AF, and so on. It's an interesting collection of stories and a nice tribute to those vets who flew with the 8th and 15th Air Forces.