Escaping certain death, not once but several times, lies at the core of this riveting, real-life story of an American soldier during World War II. In One Man's War: The WW II Saga of Tommy LaMore, a B-17 airman vividly details his experiences in war-ravaged Europe, from the horrific to the romantic and beyond. He tells what it was like to be among the first airmen in the B-17s, to prepare oneself for long missions over enemy territory, to be in heavy aerial bombardment by German fighters, to be shot down, finding oneself first in friendly hands and then in enemy hands, to be at the mercy of merciless German guards, to be one of the few American to enter, much less escape, an infamous death camp.
He tells of the relationships formed, not only with fellow crewmen but also with French Resistance fighters, with Polish prisoners, with a young and pretty survivor of a women's camp, and, surprisingly, with a bigger-than-life Russian officer with a heart set on revenge. There are fascinating descriptions of the bloodthirsty Mongols on horseback who accompanied the Russians and who struck fear into the hearts of even the most hardened German SS men.
Balancing the tales of despair and loneliness are images of a girl with an orange on a train, an intuitively companionable little dog, and brilliant scenes of Paris overflowing with flowers, food, love, and exuberance in the first weeks after the war.
The listener ends up thinking it would have been a pleasure to have known this man, Tommy LaMore, and humbly certain that the West's freedom was assured by the sacrifices of men like him.
Intrigue, passion, and sacrifice imbue One Man's War in a compelling story not only for history aficionados and WWII scholars but also for those who are fascinated by the bittersweet nature of love in times of war.
