The Lost Airman

A True Story of Escape from Nazi Occupied France

De: Seth Meyerowitz, Peter F. Stevens

Narrado por: Jonathan Todd Ross

For fans of Unbroken, the remarkable, untold story of World War II American Air Force turret-gunner Staff Sergeant Arthur Meyerowitz, who was shot down over Nazi-occupied France and evaded Gestapo pursuers for more than six months before escaping to freedom.

Bronx-born top turret-gunner Arthur Meyerowitz was on his second mission when he was shot down in 1943. He was one of only two men on the B-24 Liberator known as Harmful Lil Armful who escaped death or immediate capture on the ground. After fleeing the wreck, Arthur knocked on the door of an isolated farmhouse, whose owners hastily took him in. Fortunately, his hosts not only despised the Nazis but had a tight connection to the French resistance group Morhange and its founder, Marcel Taillandier. Arthur and Taillandier formed an improbable bond as the resistance leader arranged for Arthur's transfers among safe houses in southern France, shielding him from the Gestapo.

Based on recently declassified material, exclusive personal interviews, and extensive research into the French Resistance, The Lost Airman tells the tense and riveting story of Arthur's trying months in Toulouse - masquerading as a deaf mute and working with a downed British pilot to evade the Nazis - and of his hair-raising journey to freedom involving a perilous trek over the Pyrenees and a voyage aboard a fishing boat with U-boats lurking below and Luftwaffe fighters looming above. This is a never-before-told true story of endurance, perseverance, and escape during World War II.

©2016 Seth Meyerowitz (P)2016 Recorded Books

A mixed bag

This has been both an interesting and disappointing book for me, so I find myself torn in writing a review. On the positive side this book opened an area of World War II that I have not seen before in describing the difficulties for escaping Allied airmen in finding their way back to areas under Allied control and the workings of the French Resistance, but does so in a book that should have been much, much better.

This book contains the story of Arthur Meyerowitz, a flight engineer on a bombing mission over Southern France in 1943. His plane is shot down and he luckily finds himself rescued by the French Resistance, and the major part of this book details the what he went through trying to get out of France, through Spain and back to the Allied lines. The story is both amazing and disappointing. Amazing because of the pains and trials that he, a real person, went through in living in Nazi occupied France passing himself off as a deaf and mute Frenchman, and for the story of the brave French men and women who sheltered him, fed him and passed him along to the next person on the way out of France. Amazing because of the details of how the French Resistance worked, who some of the main leaders were, how they managed to survive and function when they were surrounded by the German Gestapo and Army. This book has all of the elements of a top-notch thriller, made even more compelling by the fact that it is all true, but fails badly due to both writing and narration that are not really up to the task.

In spite of the gripping story unfolding in this book the writing seems too detached from the events. We are told what was happening and how people felt, but this is real-life drama set against one of the most compelling backgrounds in recent history and the writing should have been as gripping as any well-written thriller novel, but instead felt so concentrated on Arthur Meyerowitz that it missed the opportunity to become a greater story of the bravery and cunning of those involved in helping him. Similarly the narration, which is adequate, should have been better. The narrator continually pauses far too long between sentences and, even though I listened at a higher speed to try to eliminate the excessive pauses, it was still annoying.

Never the less, this book made me realize that as much as I have read about the European Theater of World War II I know next to nothing about how the French Resistance worked, how it flourished and where it failed, and I find I know more about the anti-Nazi opposition in Germany than about that in France, so this book did open an area of interest to me which I will attempt to fill, provided I can find books to fill the information gap.

A mixed bag.

WWII Amazing Courage & Strength

I am fascinated by true historical biographies and events. Thank goodness the records were released from the US gov’t from 70 years ago that detailed much of his experience. It is too bad the record release didn’t happen before his death. The cruelty of the German soldiers is well documented. The narration is excellent and made it hard to leave the story, but I looked forward to returning to it.

The Lost Airman

I'm so glad I had the chance to listen to this book. Wow! The bravery of so many for one. Thank-you, in there lies a lesson for us all.

Amazing Story!

Do you have any additional comments?

The Airman's grandson discovered the story of his grandfather being shot down in France during WWII and his unbelievable journey to freedom and safety. A well-researched, well-told and well-narrated true story!

Thank you!

Thank you for sharing your grandfather’s story of his experience! The boys who served on WWI and WWII were so patriotic and selfless.
This is well worth your time.