240 pages / 6.00 x 9.00 inches / 13 halftones, 2 maps
Biography / Military | History / World War II | History / United States - 20th Century
Both history and memoir, The Flight tells the story of Richard W. “Dick” Bridges’s heroic service in World War II. Bridges survived a German attack on his plane, the Fascinatin’ Witch, by parachuting out of the exploding B-24. He escaped detection in Austria, became the first American prisoner of war in Hungary, was sent to Yugoslavia, escaped from his POW camp there, was sheltered by the Partisans one step ahead of the Germans, and was finally airlifted to safety in Italy by the British. Bridges’s story, which seems almost too astonishing to be true, went untold until after his death in 2003, when his son, Tyler Bridges, pieced it together. The younger Bridges’s odyssey in search of his father’s wartime experiences connected him with the families of other crew members aboard the Fascinatin’ Witch and led him to retrace his father’s footsteps through Austria, Hungary, and the former Yugoslavia. With his findings, Bridges has woven a story not only about World War II and the bravery of this unique group of soldiers, but also about fathers and sons, what can get lost in the gulf between generations, and how patience and understanding can bridge that gap.
Tyler Bridges, twice a member of Pulitzer Prize–winning teams, is a reporter for the New Orleans/Baton Rouge Advocate and the author of four books on Louisiana politics.
“Tyler Bridges tells a riveting account of his father, B-24 pilot, whose Liberator was downed in a bombing run over Austria in 1943. The harrowing air combat scene told from inside the plane is just the beginning of and unforgettable tale. First Lt Dick Bridges story of parachuting from his exploded bomber into enemy territory, daring evasion into non belligerent Hungary, captured, interrogated and escaped again into Yugoslavia where he made his final bolt to freedom. Lt. Bridges story is filled with suspense, courage and ingenuity, and his son provides intimate detail from his exhaustive archival research as well as interviews with families of his father’s crew members, villagers, Hungarian friends and fellow prisoners he met along the way. Tyler Bridges has provided a beautifully written adventure tale of a son’s search for his father’s WWII story. You won’t want to put this book down.”—Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, founding president and CEO of the National WWII Museum
“The Flight has it all: a handsome American flyboy in WWII, a thrilling escape from the clutches of the Nazis, and a son’s inspiring search for his father’s legacy. Think of a hybrid between The Great Escape and Field of Dreams. Tyler Bridges spent years tracking down the story of his father’s wartime career, and his own tale is, in its own way, as thrilling as his father’s exploits. Brilliantly written, The Flight reminds us that we are still building our memories of World War II, more than 75 years after the end of the war.”—Robert M. Citino, author of The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand: The German Campaigns of 1944–1945
“The Flight is a compelling story of one man’s notable journey through World War II. Tyler Bridges provides a well researched, highly readable account of his father’s experience, and the reader understands the author’s immense pride. Recommended reading.”—Gregory A. Freeman, author of The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II
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