Let me tell you about a man named Bill Ash, a genuine American hero. In 1939, this then-young Texan decided Hitler had to be stopped. Since the U.S. hadn't yet joined the war effort, Ash hitchhiked to Canada and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. They trained him and sent him to England where he flew Spitfires on some of the most daring missions.
In March of '42, he was shot down over France on one of those missions. He survived the crash landing, then evaded capture for months with the help of locals. Eventually, someone betrayed him to the Gestapo and he was captured, tortured and sentenced to death, only to be saved from execution by the Luftwaffe which moved him to one of the most severe Prisoner of War camps, Stalag Luft III. From there, he became the man they could not hold — a master escape artist who broke out of that camp and many others.
Any of this sound familiar? It does if you recall the Steve McQueen movie, The Great Escape. It was based on Ash's life.
Mr. Ash turns 95 years old this week. His incredible story is told in Under the Wire, a British best-seller being released as an e-book in honor of his birthday and the 70th anniversary of some of his more spectacular escapes. You will enjoy this book tremendously.
As an e-book, it's free for members of Amazon Prime. If not, you can order a copy for $9.99 here. You can get it on good, old-fashioned paper here. It would make a great gift for anyone…especially any 95-year-old war heroes you know.