USA

040668 - LUCK OF THE DRAW: My Story of the Air War In Europe

By Frank Murphy, WWII Airman

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER .... Soon to be featured in the upcoming Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks TV Series, Masters of the Air.  5th October 2023

A gripping and terrifying memoir from one of the few bomber pilots who survived the Second World War POW camps!

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 28,000 men were taken prisoner or interned in a neutral country, and a further 26,000 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 (aka The Bloody Hundredth), who cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress. With an eye for detail and incredible storytelling ability, Murphy shares the highs and lows of his internment in the infamous Stalag Luft III, later made famous by the Hollywood feature, The Great Escape. The men survived freezing conditions, near-starvation and a last-minute forced march as the Russian Army approached. He was liberated on April 29, 1945.

Frank Murphy’s gripping and terrifying story will soon be portrayed in a major Apple TV+ drama series from Steven Speilberg titled Masters of the Air, starring Tom Hanks. Jonas Moore will play Capt. Frank Murphy in the series, which will air January 2024. 

THE AUTHOR

Frank Murphy survived months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress. His bravery earned him the Prisoner of War Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal.

Frank Murphy’s granddaughter, CNN Correspondent Chloe Melas, will be available for interview to talk about her grandfather’s experiences and new book.

‘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

‘A powerful and poignant memoir of survival in a German POW compound.  DONALD L. MILLER, author of Masters of the Air