Luck of the Draw

My Story of the Air War in Europe

By: Frank Murphy, Chloe Melas, Elizabeth Murphy

Narrated by: Elizabeth Murphy, Jonas Moore, Chloe Melas

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

This audiobook is read by Jonas Moore, who stars as Captain Frank Murphy in the upcoming streaming series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Masters of the Air. It also includes a foreword written and read by Elizabeth Murphy and CNN's Chloe Melas, daughter and granddaughter of Frank Murphy, respectively.

“In the pursuit of authenticity, of accurate history and undeniable courage, no words matter more than, ‘I was there.’ Read Luck of the Draw and the life of Frank Murphy and ponder this: how did those boys do such things?”—Tom Hanks

The epic true story of an American hero who flew during WWII, soon to be featured in the upcoming Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks TV Series, Masters of the Air.

Beginning on August 17, 1942, American heavy bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force took off for combat in the hostile skies over occupied Europe. The final price was staggering. 4,300 B-17s and B-24s failed to return; nearly 21,000 men were taken prisoner or interned in a neutral country, and a further 17,650 made the ultimate sacrifice.

Luck of the Draw is more than a war story. It’s the incredible, inspiring story of Frank Murphy, one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group, who cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress.

Now with a new foreword written by his granddaughter Chloe Melas of CNN, and daughter Elizabeth Murphy.

“A gripping, inspirational account of incredible bravery, resilience, and sheer will to survive. A truly extraordinary story!”—General David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.)

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2023 Frank Murphy, Chloe Melas, Elizabeth Murphy (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“In the pursuit of authenticity, of accurate history and undeniable courage, no words matter more than, ‘I was there.’ Read Luck of the Draw and the life of Frank Murphy and ponder this: how did those boys do such things?”—Tom Hanks

"Murphy describes some of the bloodiest air battles of the war as only a person who was actually there can. Luck of the Draw is a riveting and often harrowing must-read for anyone interested in military aviation, the second world war, or just plain real-life adventure."—John Orloff, writer, HBO’s Band of Brothers and Apple+'s Masters of the Air

"Originally published in 2001, this finely wrought memoir captures the fortitude and resilience of the 'greatest generation'...Students of military history will appreciate Murphy’s detailed accounts of the Army Air Corp’s training program and a B-17 navigator’s responsibilities, while more casual readers will savor Murphy’s heartfelt tributes to comrades in arms. The result is a winning WWII story."—Publishers Weekly

love it

An honor to listen to Frank’s story. He gave great due credit to the men of the 8th Air Force in his account.

Great story and good narration

I enjoyed the essence of this story and the experience of the air war over Europe. I had no issues with the narration and thought he did well.

Greatest Generation

My father was a P~38 pilot in WW2. This story revealed to me what the brave men in the bombers were experiencing each mission. It conveyed their commitment to the mission, each other and the USA. This is a story to be read, understood and deeply appreciated by all. Well done!

A story of patriotism in a time of war.

This is such a compelling and interesting story. What a life - Frank Murphy would lead! We’re fortunate that he has shared with all of us.

Great look into the mighty 8th

Great historical insight of a bomber crew during WW2. We hear so much about the battles on the ground it is great to learn about the airship crews and their stories.

one of the best

I was working our about a month ago & watching a Sunday AM news program, and Chloe was talking about the book, so I bought it. I'm a former USCG Pilot. I have read many WW2 books. This is one of the best. Reads like a novel, and I could not put it down. I have immense respect for the kids that flew these planes. The life expectancy odds were against these kids. The greatest generation is almost gone, yet you get a first hand account of what it was like. BTW. I always wondered how the crew got into the planes, Frank tells us how he did it. Special thank you to EM and CM for publishing this...thank you

Thank you to the Greatest Generation

Very high on technical details but a remarkable story about a true American hero who fought for the liberties and freedoms we’ve come to know today.

Great story, good narration, but some atrocious pronunciation.

This was a well written, interesting story. The narrator did a good job for the most part. I was very surprised, though, at his pronunciation of some fairly common English words. Words such as longitude, contributing, status, logically, respite, margarine, distributed, privacy, I just don’t understand how someone mispronounces such words. 

His Duty, Honesty , and Experiences

The details of his exploits and his emotional honesty I describing what he was about to face during his missions. And what he faced during his capture and liberation.

Amazing

Thank you for this front row seat and insight into the greatest generation. I learned so much about history and more importantly courage. Truly an amazing read.