Coffin Corner Boys

Personal accounts of combat experiences by the veterans of the Eighth Air Force in WWII add significantly to the understanding of the most significant historical event of the last century as well as the incredible sacrifices made by these brave airmen. Coffin Corner Boys takes the reader on the perilous story of then Lieutenant, Dr. George W. Starks, of the 407th Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, form the time his B-17 was shot down on March 16, 1944 near Vitry le Francais, France and his ensuing trek through enemy territory to safety in Switzerland. Lieutenant Starks, then barely 20, was the aircraft commander of a B-17 and responsible for the nine man crew. Reflect back when you had just completed your teen years, parachuted out of a severely crippled airplane and undertook a walk from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh, PA, with hostile people trying to capture or even kill you at every opportunity. Could you do it? George Starks did it! I strongly commend this fascinating story to you! Enjoy the read.

A heartwarming and fascinating true account of our nations finest aviators from the Greatest Generation. Avriett brings each character to life page by page as they overcame incredible odds after their B-17 Fighting Fortress was shot down over occupied territory during WWII. Readers will be captivated by another amazing story from WWII that had to be told - not only of the brave pilots and crew who survived insurmountable odds, but also the brave French citizens who risked everything to help them. Inspiring and emotional.

On their first combat mission, ten young men had their lives forever altered. Shot out of the air, parachuting into Nazi-occupied France, the men were scattered to different fates—some  escaped, others were captured. All made it home from the war.  Their individual adventures exhibit a collective determination to survive. Some 73 years later, with the help of Carole Engle Avriett, their stories are being told. And not just those of the crew, but of the French men and women, who, at great risk, took some of the crew into their homes, hid them, and aided their escapes.
Equally as interesting are the stories of some of the crew returning to Europe a half century later to retrace their steps and reconnect with the people who had helped to save them.  The book also helps to remind us that the Coffin Corner Boys were the lucky ones. Many, many other aircrews were to remain forever young. 

 

Readers will catch a glimpse into first-hand accounts of what very young men did in serving our country at a time when the world was at war—and how brave people abroad responded to their mission. You will be inspired and engrossed at every turn of the page of this remarkable book.

Rarely do we read true stories about the fearsome, preserving, enduring, unselfish love of country displayed by Dr. George Starks. He doesn’t like to be called a hero, but no other word can rightly portray him better. He is my hero and after reading this book, he will be yours too.