Coffin Corner Boys: One Bomber, Ten Men, and Their Harrowing Escape from Nazi-Occupied France - Paperback

by Carole Engle Avriett (Author), George W. Starks (With)

"Gripping...filled with...dramatic escapes, moments of surprising humanity, and acts of bravery." --Publishers Weekly

A Story of Adventure, Survival, Loyalty, and Brotherhood

Taking off from England on March 16, 1944, young Lt. George Starks and the nine-man crew of his Flying Fortress were assigned to the "coffin corner," the most exposed position in the bomber formation headed for Germany. They never got there. Shot down over Nazi-occupied France, the airmen bailed out one by one, scattered across the countryside. Miraculously, all ten survived, but as they discarded their parachutes in the farmland of Champagne, their wartime odyssey was only beginning.

Alone, with a broken foot and a 20mm shell fragment in his thigh, twenty-year-old Starks set out on an incredible 300-mile trek to Switzerland, making his way with the help of ordinary men and women who often put themselves in great danger on his behalf. Six weeks later, on the verge of giving up, Starks found himself in the hands of a heroic member of the French Resistance--he calls him "the bravest man I've ever known"--who got him safely across the heavily guarded border.

Similar ordeals awaited the other nine crewmen, who faced injury, betrayal, cap-tivity, hunger, and depression. It was nothing short of miraculous that all ten came home at the end of the war.

George Starks emerged from his ordeal with two passions--to stay in touch with his crew whatever the obstacles and to return to France to find and thank the brave souls to whom he owed his life. His enduring loyalty enabled him to do both.

Author Biography

There's no greater love or adventure than knowing Jesus Christ, says nationally known speaker and bestselling author, Carole Engle Avriett. Her distinguished publishing career includes fourteen years at Southern Living magazine, where she wrote hundreds of articles on architectural and interior design and co-authored several books, notably At Home with Southern Living. She also served as editor in chief of an award-winning lifestyle monthly for Central Florida and spearheaded a magazine for Disney's internationally acclaimed town Celebration.

Currently, she invests her skills full-time writing Christian books and military history memoirs, the latter inspired by her own family's tradition of military service. In addition to writing, Carole leads women's conferences, sharing her powerful testimony of personal struggle until Christ came into her life at the age of thirty. For the past eight years, she has led a large non-denominational ladies' Bible study. "We are doing life together with Jesus," she says. "It's been an amazing experience!"

As active members of First Baptist Church, Orlando, Carole and her husband have often served as missionaries to Brazil with the church's missions program. "When I write and teach, I draw from a wide range of personal experiences including surviving cancer, caring for aging parents, and riding every roller coaster in central Florida with my seven grandchildren," she says. Her other books include Extravagant Love and national bestseller Coffin Corner Boys: One Bomber, Ten Men, and their Harrowing Escape from Nazi-Occupied France.