Скачать или смотреть The US’s Hidden Masterstroke That Made Hitler and Stalin Lose It

The flak bursts clawed at Lieutenant Tom Oliver’s B-24 Liberator, sending it lurching violently as shrapnel tore into its airframe. Engines three and four had already blown to pieces over Campina, Romania, and now engine two was a roaring inferno. A single-engine couldn’t carry them home. There was only one thing left to do.

The cockpit filled with Oliver’s urgent voice over the intercom: (QUOTE) “Bail out! Bail out!” He punched the alarm and cast one last glance at the puttering engine. The flames engulfed the wing. Behind him, Navigator John Thibodeau hesitated to jump. Oliver waved him off. There was no time for hesitation.

The Liberator spiraled earthward. As the pilot, Oliver was the last one to jump; he flung himself into the void, tumbling through the air as the bomber exploded in the distance. The ground came fast, too fast, and then suddenly, he was there, sprawling over a picnic table. A Serb family stared, frozen in the middle of their meal.

Moments later, two armed men on horseback appeared, their gestures leaving no room for negotiation. They motioned him onto a horse. As he was whisked deep into enemy territory, an extraordinary operation was set in motion to bring him and 500 other men home…