
Shot Down
Description
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Alex Kerr's Wellington, a twin-engine bomber, was shot down over Germany in 1941. At first hospitalized with hopes of repatriation, he unexpectedly found himself a prisoner in a German POW camp. Throughout those trying four years he was held captive, Alex kept a secret diary. This book reproduces his diary entries in a fascinating account of all aspects of life in a wartime prison.
He describes being part of the infamous Long March during which he and his comrades were strafed by Allied aircraft; sixty POWs were killed and one hundred wounded. Alex escaped the march with a mate, passing through the front lines between the British and German forces to commandeer a German mayor's car and drive back to Brussels to take the next aircraft to freedom.
Alex's charm and optimistic outlook will buoy the reader throughout, and the camaraderie between him and his captive comrades is always entertaining. This is an authentic Second World War adventure from being shot out of the sky, to incarceration and the ultimate triumph of escape and the end of the war.
"Based on a secret diary maintained during four years of imprisonment, this is an authentic voice from WWII. The author demonstrates charm and optimism which lightens what might have been a depressing story. Recommended." -Firetrench
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Person
After his escape Alex returned to the United Kingdom, before embarking for Australia in August 1945, and arriving in Sydney the following month. Returning to civilian life, Alex married and had five children. He pursued an academic career, ultimately becoming a Professor and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University in Western Australia. Alex is a member of the RSL.
Content
- Intro
- Foreword
- Prologue
- Chapter 1 Antiquity
- Chapter 2 Childhood, 1921-1929
- Chapter 3 Pre-war, 1929-1939
- Chapter 4 Off to War, 1940
- Chapter 5 The Pacific and Canada, 1940
- Chapter 6 England at War, 1941
- Chapter 7 On Operations, 1941
- Chapter 8 A Fire in the Sky, 1941
- Chapter 9 Hospitalised in Germany, 1941
- Chapter 10 Convalescence, 1941
- Chapter 11 Off to Prison Camp, 1941
- Chapter 12 Stalag IIIE: Kirchain, Germany, 1941
- Chapter 13 Settling into Prison Life, 1941
- Chapter 14 First Christmas in Prison, 1941
- Chapter 15 A Dismal Year, 1942
- Chapter 16 The Tunnel, 1942
- Chapter 17 On the Loose, 1942
- Chapter 18 Recaptured, 1942
- Chapter 19 Stalag Luft III: Sagan, Poland, 1942
- Chapter 20 Sports and Escapes, 1942
- Chapter 21 Second Christmas in Prison, 1942
- Chapter 22 Turn of the Tide, 1943
- Chapter 23 Stalag Luft VI: Heydekrug, East Prussia, 1943
- Chapter 24 Third Christmas in Prison, 1943
- Chapter 25 The Invasion, 1944
- Chapter 26 Stalag 357 Thorn: Poland, 1944
- Chapter 27 Fourth Christmas in Prison: Fallingbostel, Germany, 1944
- Chapter 28 The Long March: Germany, 1945
- Chapter 29 Freedom, 1945
- Chapter 30 Home Sweet Home, 1945
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgements
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