Oscar G. Richard - a native of Sunshine, Louisiana -was not the usual World War II serviceman. After enlisting in the US Army Air Corps in 1942 and training diligently for many months, the B-17 bombardier spent only one week in combat. On his third and last mission - on January 14, 1944 - his plane was shot down over France and he was imprisoned by the Germans. Thus, like many in the Eighth Air Force in late 1943 and early 1944, he spent most of the war not in combat but in captivity. In this memoir, Richard describes his wartime experiences both before and after his capture, recounting the transformation of a fresh-faced recruit into a seasoned POW. Offering insight into the early days of soldier life, he chronicles his enlistment, the months he spent waiting on the home front for induction, and his training at various sites in the American West. He gives accounts of his bombing missions and relives his parachute escape from his doomed plane and his subsequent seizure.
The book relates the path that most German-held POWs, or "kriegies", took after capture: from the front lines to solitary confinement and interrogation at Dulag Luft, through a long and uncertain journey through Germany, to the final destination - for Richard, Stalag Luft 1, near Barth on the Baltic coast.
