Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-322) and index.
Contents:
Prologue: Saving the "Flower of American Womanhood" -- Lost in the Fog of War -- Furtuna over the Ionian -- The Crash-Landing: Americanos! Americanos! -- Surreal Heroes in Berat -- Separation: The Germans Attack -- Surviving the Blizzard on Mount Tomorrit -- Averting a German Avalanche -- The Air Rescue Goes Awry -- Crawling Around the Enemy -- Final Dash to Freedom -- Rescuing the Missing Three -- Epilogue: Never Too Late to Salute Heroes -- Maps: The Mediterranean Theater, 1943; The Trek: The Crash Landing through Christmas 1943; The Trek: The Rescue Attempt through January 5, 1944; Final Dash to Freedom: January 6-9, 1944.
Summary:
"Savage Will brings to life a remarkable story of perseverance, heroism, and survival: the true tale of the American medics and nurses who endured two months in Nazi-occupied Albania, and the fearless citizens and Allied intelligence officers who risked all to save them. On a cold morning in war-ravaged Sicily in 1943, men and women of the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron boarded a routine flight to the Italian mainland to care for wounded soldiers. En route, their plane became lost in storm clouds looming over the Adriatic Sea, drifted hundreds of miles off course, and crash-landed in remote mountainous Albania. Stranded without proper winter clothing or even weapons, the Americans were trapped 850 blizzard-plagued miles from Allied lines, in a country torn apart by rival bands of pro- and anti-German guerrillas. What followed is the most thrilling untold story of World War II -- a saga that would ensnare a cast of hundreds, from President Roosevelt and top Allied intelligence officials to a host of brave Albanian Resistance fighters, the British and U.S. Mediterranean air forces, and the gritty officers sent behind enemy lines to rescue them: a dashing English lieutenant and a tenacious American captain. Hunted by German soldiers, the American castaways were forced to rely on what one survivor called their "savage will" to elude their enemy and ultimately find their way to freedom. Savage Will is a testament to a generation who defied all odds"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.