WWII detailed from prisoner's view

HISTORY

An intriguing perspective of World War II is documented in the book "Under the Wire: The World War II Adventures of a Legendary Escape Artist and Cooler King' (St. Martin's Press, $24.95).

William Ash and Brendan Foley recount Ash's life story. He grows up in the dust bowl of Texas during the Depression and ends up joining the Canadian Air Force to fight with the British during the first years of World War II, long before the Americans joined the effort.

In fact, he is required to give up his passport and American citizenship as punishment for fighting for the king of England. Though he becomes quite the pilot, Ash spends most of World War II as a prisoner of war. It's his stories of the men, activities and his own devious deeds and plots to escape that make this book so enlightening and entertaining.

Many books about World War II tell about either the best-known of figures, such as Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower, or the military movements and battles that brought the downfall of Hitler. This book looks at another aspect the POWs. Just because they are behind wire doesn't mean they aren't trying to help bring the Axis powers down. They just have to be more creative. They have no guns, tanks or planes at their disposal, but they do have the ability to dig.

The book describes the world of a POW as occupied with arts and crafts, educational pursuits, gambling, smuggling and trade, keeping their wardens on their feet, and most importantly, escaping. Each camp has an escape committee that listens to all escape plans. If the committee deems a plan to be worth the risk, the camp immediately launches the plan.

Everyone who has a skill from forgery, to bribery, to tailoring, to mathematics (used to figure out the logistics of the tunnel) is brought in to help the few escapees on their journey out. It's amazing what one can accomplish with some free time, and since they are officers (meaning they could not be required to work), they have all the time in the world.

Ash becomes a serial escape artist and many times is a member of the escape committee. The creativity these men have in building, hiding and creating materials is astonishing and sometimes hilarious. One tunnel in particular has a rather peculiar entrance that no one would want to stick his head in, let alone climb in and out of every day.

Not only is the book filled with the humorous antics and the serious trials and tribulations of the soldiers who live life behind wire fences, there are the adventures of the men on the outside. The escapee's goal is to tie up as many German soldiers as possible in the hunt for the missing prisoners, but at the same time not get caught as he makes his way through occupied territories to England.

Some make it. Some are lucky enough to be sent back to camp. And a few are never seen again. Ash never makes a "home run back to England and is lucky the worst punishment he receives (outside of his first attempt where he has a run-in with the Gestapo that turns ugly) is long stints in the "cooler (solitary confinement). Once out, he would immediately begin work on his next escape and might have even been a part of the "Great Escape if he hadn't been in the cooler serving time for an earlier escape attempt.

This book is a well-written and thoroughly documented story of a man who never took "no for an answer and always did what he felt was right and needed to be done. He faced his enemies head-on or 10 feet under ground. Ash's story is humorous, nerve wracking, claustrophobia inducing, touching and an outright exciting read. The inside details of life in a prisoner camp and the stories of the heroic men Ash met will stick with you long after you turn the last page.

Archive ID: 3034702