• Beyond the Call

  • The True Story of One World War II Pilot's Covert Mission to Rescue POWs on the Eastern Front
  • By: Lee Trimble, Jeremy Dronfield
  • Narrated by: Donald Corren
  • Length: 11 hrs
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (533 ratings)

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Beyond the Call  By  cover art

Beyond the Call

By: Lee Trimble,Jeremy Dronfield
Narrated by: Donald Corren
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Publisher's summary

Near the end of World War II, thousands of Allied ex-POWs were abandoned to wander the war-torn Eastern Front. With no food, shelter, or supplies, they were an army of dying men. The Red Army had pushed the Nazis out of Russia. As they advanced across Poland, the prison camps of the Third Reich were discovered and liberated. In defiance of humanity, the freed Allied prisoners were discarded without aid. The Soviets viewed POWs as cowards and regarded all refugees as potential spies or partisans.

The United States repeatedly offered to help recover their POWs but were refused. With relations between the Allies strained, a plan was conceived for an undercover rescue mission. In total secrecy the OSS chose an obscure American air force detachment stationed at a Ukrainian airfield; it would provide the base and the cover for the operation. The man they picked to undertake it was veteran 8th Air Force bomber pilot Captain Robert Trimble.

With little covert training, already scarred by the trials of combat, Trimble took the mission. He would survive by wit, courage, and a determination to do some good in a terrible war. Alone he faced up to the terrifying Soviet secret police, saving hundreds of lives. At the same time he battled to come to terms with the trauma of war and find his own way home to his wife and child.

One ordinary man. One extraordinary mission. A thousand lives at stake. This is the compelling, inspiring true story of an American hero who laid his life on the line to bring his fellow men home to safety and freedom.

©2015 Lee Trimble and Jeremy Dronfield (P)2015 Recorded Books

What listeners say about Beyond the Call

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A story of a real hero!

Would you listen to Beyond the Call again? Why?

Absolutely! The narrator was excellent - very engaging. The Story was that of a true hero. The book tells of all the atrocities of war but one man's mission to save as many POWs and refugees that he can during his mission. It was a very emotional ending, but you got to reall yknow Captain Trimble and fell like you were on the journey with him.

What other book might you compare Beyond the Call to and why?

I read "The Envoy" which was about a Swedish man who saved Jews during the war. Had the same feeling but a little difference kind of story.

Have you listened to any of Donald Corren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Donald Corren before but after this performance will see what other books he has read. Very enjoyable narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I have listened to many WWII books, mainly about the holocaust so I was not surprised but the awful things that Captain Trimble witnessed. But I guess it never gets easier to hear of the cruelly humans have suffered. I cried at the end of this book. I don't want to give away too much but the part about the French medal is where it got emotional for me and then never ended...

Any additional comments?

A must read for anyone who enjoys stories of triumph and real war heroes. If you are an "Unbroken" fan, I think you'll like this one too.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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An Exceptional Story

What made the experience of listening to Beyond the Call the most enjoyable?

This book recounts a series of events from WW2 of which I was previously unaware - and does it well, with a mix of mostly personal memories, and just enough strategic details to add context.

Any additional comments?

Reading this in 2015 while Putin spun his fictions about Ukraine and stonewalled the truth provided a modern day confirmation of the Russian leadership continuing proclivity to do exactly what Stalin and his generals did in 1944 and 1945. Casting the very American bomber pilots who were helping them win the war into concentration camps while trying to steal the secrets of their bombers, ordering the NKVD to set the stage for Russia's annexation of Eastern Europe, bullying Roosevelt and the American political leadership into submission - it all only confirms that Churchill was right - the Russians are not to be trusted, do not share Western ideals or civility, and need to be bottled up as tightly as possible until they finally become civilized. Read this book, be amazed by the author's experiences, and then be angered by the fact that the same thing is still happening 70 years later.

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8 people found this helpful

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Past is Prologue; A Must for Understanding Vets

What did you love best about Beyond the Call?

This book could have been written about contemporary US involvement in Iraq. It is surprisingly good and a tremendous true story of a young American officer thrust into circumstances way beyond his training. The book illustrates why America can be proud of its individual soldiers while illustrating the emotional and moral price that soldiers pay in service to their nation.

What other book might you compare Beyond the Call to and why?

Hmmmmm, Shindler's List. This is a book about liberation and about moral duty. It is just exemplary and should be required reading in any US Military Officer Development Program.

What about Donald Corren’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to without the odd vocalizations that sometimes taint otherwise beautiful books. I enjoyed the narration and intonation. All appropriate.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There are both humorous and sad moments in this book but everything that Trimble experienced in Ukraine and Poland I saw similar examples of in Iraq. Again this book with different geography could be the story of US experienced in Iraq and this it really hit me on a number of levels.

Any additional comments?

If you want to understand how PTSD develops and the moral conflicts that veterans face when they come home, you need to read this book. Trimble's son does the greatest honor to him in telling a story that would have otherwise been forgotten. It is a well written book and very engaging. There are no dull moments in this read. The author should be commended for his devotion.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A story who's time is due

With practiced precision the WWII Soviets once again turned a Victory into a stunning defeat. As the Potsdam agreement was being signed, all signers pledged to return prisoners of war to their home country. This included airmen who escaped damaged aircraft. The Soviets however were slow to uphold their part of the bargain. Hundreds of Allied airmen languished in their old camps with no heat,food,clothing nor transportation. The highest ranking officer assigned to hunting Allied airmen was a.Captain. This his story, so tightly covered up that it was barely brought to light.until he was on death's door,seep and then by his son. Brilliantly written.and narrated. it will hold your attention from the Get-go

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6 people found this helpful

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Highly recommended.

Thrilling journey into a little known part of the war. Well written and well read. Any fans of WW2 history will certainly enjoy.

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6 people found this helpful

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Amazing! Simultaneously inspiring and enfuriating.

An incredible story, well written, informative and thoroughly enjoyable. You'll learn more about the nature of WWII USSR in this book than in all your years of public education combined.

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WWII Hidden Historical Gem

A fascinating, well told history of WWII POW rescue, betrayal, suffering and redemption. Entertaining, gripping and a must read.

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Great Story, Well Written Book

Great story. The narrator does a really good job. This book highlights an often overlooked portion of WW2, and tells a previously unknown story. It does so by telling the tale of a truly great American Hero.
I listen to, and read, many books a month. Unlike many books written by family members, this one is very well written. It also details a truly remarkable life and time period, and some truly remarkable and heroic actions. It is worth your time and credits.

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Soviet Brutality Re: US POWs

Finally, we are being told the truth about what happened to thousands of US, British, and other POWs supposedly in the care of the Soviet Union during and immediately after World War II. Almost nothing is publicly known about this tragedy, even more than 75 years after it happened. For the most part, as their families knew, these Americans simply disappeared. Lee Trimble exposes the lies Soviet and US officials repeated unendingly about the fate of as many as 40,000 servicemen, freed from Nazi stalags, by the Soviet Army, and whom the military now classify as "Missing and Presumed Dead" in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

Beyond the Call tells the story of one man's effort to save those he could from the hell of war torn Eastern Europe and a Soviet military completely inured to the value of human life. It's not an easy story to read, but read it must be by anyone who wishes to avoid the repetition of the kinds of cruelty that Americans and others were subjected to by people with political agendas.

As a person who has closely studied the Soviet Union and modern Russia, I can witness that Mr. Trimble's story fits right in to the nature of the Soviet soul. Unfortunately, modern Russia is trending back to its roots far too much.

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Important story

What an important story . The writing however is not that great. Mr. Trimble is a hero a d his family should be proud. Thanks for sharing your history.

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