Luck of the Draw: My Story of the Air War in Europe
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-27 17:21:53
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Frank Murphy
- ISBN：B0B1KXZC71
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Julie Brough
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I loved this firsthand account of WWII。 It gave me new insights into the thoughts and history of air war。 I appreciated his honesty and that he was upfront with how this is from his memory， so some things might not be completely accurate。 I didn't love it as an audiobook because it was a little hard to understand the maneuvers as someone unfamiliar with this subject， and I missed out on the images he talked about at the end。 Definitely worth a read though！ I loved this firsthand account of WWII。 It gave me new insights into the thoughts and history of air war。 I appreciated his honesty and that he was upfront with how this is from his memory， so some things might not be completely accurate。 I didn't love it as an audiobook because it was a little hard to understand the maneuvers as someone unfamiliar with this subject， and I missed out on the images he talked about at the end。 Definitely worth a read though！ 。。。more
Paula
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Captivating reading
Helen
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The author writes a very detailed account of his military training， on the battlefield then as a prisoner of war。 It shows the strength of an individual's fight to survive。 The author writes a very detailed account of his military training， on the battlefield then as a prisoner of war。 It shows the strength of an individual's fight to survive。 。。。more
Book。ishJulie
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I love memoirs， and I love learning about WWII。 What do you get when you combine these two loves？ Frank Murphy's history book， Luck Of The Draw: My Story Of The Air War In Europe。I am shocked and amazed at the amount of research that went into writing this book; although I know others shared information with Murphy， this help wouldn’t have made it any easier to get the published memoir I read， out of Murphy’s words in his leather-bound notebook。 Murphy shares his beginnings in the military， and I love memoirs， and I love learning about WWII。 What do you get when you combine these two loves？ Frank Murphy's history book， Luck Of The Draw: My Story Of The Air War In Europe。I am shocked and amazed at the amount of research that went into writing this book; although I know others shared information with Murphy， this help wouldn’t have made it any easier to get the published memoir I read， out of Murphy’s words in his leather-bound notebook。 Murphy shares his beginnings in the military， and how he went from being a navigator in the 100th 8th Air Force's Bomb Group to a prisoner of war when his B-17 aircraft was taken down。 This book brought me another side to WWII than I have previously read， and I know Murphy's courageous war efforts， along with those efforts from others， will forever remain in my mind。Reading and listening to the letters Murphy sent home to his Mum had me on the verge of tears countless times。 How could mothers have sent their young sons off to war the way they did？ The thought easily breaks my heart in such a guttural way。 Day after day these men， （boys really）， fought with all they had; Murphy said it was the love and camaraderie for his crew-mates that kept him moving forward， putting himself in harm’s way daily – something so unimaginable， but was simply what was done。I learned an incredible amount while reading this history book， but the following information specifically stands out to me: Aircrafts were named by their American bomber crews （names like Bastard’s Bungalow and Mugwump and Aw-R-Go）。 A milk-run is a mission without event。 Flak （from the German word Fliegerabwehrkannonen） is antiaircraft fire from the enemy shot at aircraft。 When a book can combine history and facts， share heart and soul， all while teaching me something？ I think that’s a book that lessons should focus around in schools。At first the younger age of the audiobook narrator bothered me， as I was wanting an older voice speaking for Murphy - but in the end I think the choice was perfect。 There were a few times I suspected or noted the hint of an accent， but this too ended up working for me。 I would recommend the audiobook， except if you're wanting the footnotes， the many appendixes and bibliography - as none of this additional information is shared in the audio version。Luck Of The Draw: My Story Of The Air War In Europe is for anyone that has loved historical fiction like The Nightingale and The Diamond Eye and has wanted to learn more， for anyone generally wanting to learn more about WWII， for anyone interested in aircraft and/or for anyone looking to dip their toe into the history book genre。（The heroic stories from Murphy and his 8th Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group will be portrayed in forthcoming "Masters Of The Air，" an Apple TV series from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks。 Murphy's book was first published in 2001， but I read the re-released 2023 version。）I know I will be buying this book for my non-fiction shelf， will be referencing it when needed， and will teach Adalynn from it when she’s older。Thank you NetGalley， St。 Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read， listen to and review。 。。。more
Thebestdogmom
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While I usually don’t read this type of book I found it quite interesting。 My husband is the one in the family with a love of WWII stories but I saw this and gave it a try。 I found the story easy to follow and kept my interest。 The narration of the audiobook was wonderful。
Arlene Mullen
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Luck of the Draw is the story of Frank Murphy who was taken as a POW during WW2。 It talks about his life and how he got to where he was。The story was interesting but very slow。 I found myself struggling to pay attention to the story。The narrator was on but was very monotone。 For an audio book it was not very engaging。 I very much enjoy learning about history and WW2， but this just did not hold my interest well。
Terri
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Ok ，so who doesn't want to see a new Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg movie？ This is the book that their newest movie is based on。 Frank Murphy is one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group， who cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress。 Frank tells his story in this wonderful and powerful story that was super hard to put down and was highly enjoyable。 Ok ，so who doesn't want to see a new Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg movie？ This is the book that their newest movie is based on。 Frank Murphy is one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group， who cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress。 Frank tells his story in this wonderful and powerful story that was super hard to put down and was highly enjoyable。 。。。more
Cheryl Sokoloff
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In 1942， it was determined that the only way the Allies could defeat Axis powers would be， by dominating the battle， in the air。 With that in mind， the US Air Force sent to Britain their B17 heavy bombers and their crew， including pilots， navigators， gunmen and their supporting engineers and staff （ ie: the Mighty Eighth of the US Air Force，;the largest of the deployed combat army air forces， in numbers of personnel， aircraft and equipment）。 In June 1943 （ish）， Frank Murphy began his deployment In 1942， it was determined that the only way the Allies could defeat Axis powers would be， by dominating the battle， in the air。 With that in mind， the US Air Force sent to Britain their B17 heavy bombers and their crew， including pilots， navigators， gunmen and their supporting engineers and staff （ ie: the Mighty Eighth of the US Air Force，;the largest of the deployed combat army air forces， in numbers of personnel， aircraft and equipment）。 In June 1943 （ish）， Frank Murphy began his deployment to Britain in the US Air Force， with the Mighty Eighth， in the 100th Bomb Group。 He expected to return home before Christmas 🎄 of that year， after （hopefully） completing 25 missions。 Instead， Murphy was captured and was a POW at Stalag Luft III internment camp in Germany until Liberation Day。 This is Frank Murphy’s memoir， Luck of the Draw My Story of the Air War in Europe。 For his contribution to the war， Murphy received a Purple Heart， Air Medal， and the POW Medal。 He died in 2007 at age 85。 This edition of Murphy’s memoir， is a RE release， with new forwards， by his daughter Elizabeth Murphy and granddaughter Chloe Melas （of CNN）。 It was Chloe Melas who felt the need to （RE） share her grandfather’s story， just before the upcoming Apple TV+ series based on Donald L。 Miller’s book， Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany， produced by Spielberg （with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman）。 Her grandfather is a character in the series。 I am thankful to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in return for my honest review。 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Glenn Coltharp
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Good book & good audiobook！ Narrator， Jonas Moore， was perfect for the audiobook version。 First part of the book was a little slow but it picked up。 Definitely worth a read/listen & amazing bravery by the 8th…。really still wondering how any of them survived！ Thankful to have received a ARC from NetGalley & Macmillan Audio！
Gabriel Thomas Malanchuk
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Very interesting book！ Another amazing story of WWII survival and heroism！ May they never be forgotten！
Beary Into Books
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This one was really interesting。 I took a month to read it， only reading a few chapters each night。 It can be a lot at times so this is what worked for me。 I liked the writing and would definitely recommend this one。
Kearsten Ballard
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This book is so interesting。 I seriously can not imagine what these men went through。 The beginning takes a bit to get into， but once you're in the book， you want to know what happened。 I love how this book is written。 I've never really read a book where it's about the actual crew of the planes that were involved in the war。 I recommend this book if you are interested in any information about the Second World War。 It is very interesting。 This book is so interesting。 I seriously can not imagine what these men went through。 The beginning takes a bit to get into， but once you're in the book， you want to know what happened。 I love how this book is written。 I've never really read a book where it's about the actual crew of the planes that were involved in the war。 I recommend this book if you are interested in any information about the Second World War。 It is very interesting。 。。。more
Keila
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Do you like audio books？I’ve really been listening to more audio books lately。 I’ve found they’re nice to listen to early in the morning before my family wakes up – or on the days I have to go into the office and commute。This book is the true story of an American hero， Frank Murphy， who flew during WWII and became a prisoner of war。 Frank was a heavy bomber and flew in the Eighth Air Force over hostile skies over Europe。 When his plane went down， he was among 21，000 men who were taken prisoner o Do you like audio books？I’ve really been listening to more audio books lately。 I’ve found they’re nice to listen to early in the morning before my family wakes up – or on the days I have to go into the office and commute。This book is the true story of an American hero， Frank Murphy， who flew during WWII and became a prisoner of war。 Frank was a heavy bomber and flew in the Eighth Air Force over hostile skies over Europe。 When his plane went down， he was among 21，000 men who were taken prisoner or interned， of those 21，000， 17，650 made the ultimate sacrifice。I really appreciated the foreword of this one written by his granddaughter and his daughter。 It really helped add to the realness of the story。This book had so many things going for it that I just absolutely enjoyed！ The narrator， WWII， biography， POW， pilot， just so many things。 This book was so personal and real。 I really enjoyed listening to the story of Franks life， and I learned quite a few things about the war， and airplanes in general。 I really enjoyed learning more about the planes and the history of them。 Frank was so lucky to have survived the war and to have led such an amazing life， and leave a great legacy。The narrator on this one was perfect！ He just nailed the vibe of the book on the head。Make sure to grab your copy February 28th。Thank you to the publisher， MacMillan Audio， St Martins Griffin， @StMartinsPress， @MacMillanAudio， Netgalley， @netgalley， and the author， for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Casey Wheeler
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This book is an autobiography by Frank Murphy who was a pilot during World War II who flew bombing raids over Germany。 The books covers his training as a pilot and then his shipment over to England and what took place there。 He is shot down and is put in the Stalag that was featured in the movie the Great Escape。 Unfortunately， or fortunately depending on your view of what happened to the majority of the escapees， he was in a different part of the camp when it occurred。 The book was good when it This book is an autobiography by Frank Murphy who was a pilot during World War II who flew bombing raids over Germany。 The books covers his training as a pilot and then his shipment over to England and what took place there。 He is shot down and is put in the Stalag that was featured in the movie the Great Escape。 Unfortunately， or fortunately depending on your view of what happened to the majority of the escapees， he was in a different part of the camp when it occurred。 The book was good when it focused on his life， but unfortunately this reissue is bogged down with a number of tedious appendixes and listing of aircraft trying to make the book appear more robust。I received a free ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley， Goodreads， Amazon， Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog。 。。。more
Lisa
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I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway。 The story， as a whole， is really incredible and possibly one that few still alive have experienced。 Be patient with this book when you start as the author is not a trained writer。 The first half of the book seemed to get bogged down in details but the moments when the author talks about his personal experiences is where this book shines。 It is worth the read。
Natalie
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Luck of the DrawBy Frank MurphyMr。 Murphy was the navigator for the 100th Bomb Group which flew missions from Britain over Western Europe and Germany during World War II until his plane was shot down and he became a prisoner of war in Germany。 This is his story in his own words。Like many men of the "Greatest Generation"， Frank and his compatriots didn't consider themselves heroes。 They were just regular guys "doing the right thing"。 This memoir chronicles Frank's journey from his enlistment thr Luck of the DrawBy Frank MurphyMr。 Murphy was the navigator for the 100th Bomb Group which flew missions from Britain over Western Europe and Germany during World War II until his plane was shot down and he became a prisoner of war in Germany。 This is his story in his own words。Like many men of the "Greatest Generation"， Frank and his compatriots didn't consider themselves heroes。 They were just regular guys "doing the right thing"。 This memoir chronicles Frank's journey from his enlistment through training and his assignment to Great Britain to bombing raids and ultimately the deprivations of a prison camp。 And like those same men， Frank did not talk about his war – the successful raids， but also the horrendous toll of planes and crews lost in this brutal war。Many years later Frank – one of the lucky ones who came home – decided to write this memoir to remember the experiences， and the men who were not so lucky。 This recounting is dramatic in its matter-of-fact presentation。 The story is amazing and horrifying。 For me， there is one line that sums it all up: Frank describes two of this crew killed in action as "…two young American airmen [who] gave their nation their most precious possession – all their tomorrows。"Thanks to Frank's daughter and granddaughter for the re-release of this book。 We must never forget。 。。。more
Mike Kennedy
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Frank Murphy’s memoir covers his life through his time as a navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress in the 100th Bombardment Group。 The 100th was in the thick of the Allies bombing of Germany and took heavy casualties。 Mr。 Murphy recounts his complete war experience from basic training to flying over the deadly European Skies。 He tells of his harrowing mission where his plane was shot down and his life in a German POW camp。 This book is a new edition with a new forward from Mr。 Murphy’s granddaughte Frank Murphy’s memoir covers his life through his time as a navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress in the 100th Bombardment Group。 The 100th was in the thick of the Allies bombing of Germany and took heavy casualties。 Mr。 Murphy recounts his complete war experience from basic training to flying over the deadly European Skies。 He tells of his harrowing mission where his plane was shot down and his life in a German POW camp。 This book is a new edition with a new forward from Mr。 Murphy’s granddaughter。 Mr。 Murphy does an excellent job retelling his war years。 There are all sorts of stories from the funny things that happened to the terrifying mission he flew over Europe。 He has a way of making you feel like you there while the events take place。 Mr。 Murphy does a good job of not overdramatizing the events for the sake of the story， but to really dig deep and give you a good sense of what was happening。 He recounts his thoughts， including his fears， and how he and the rest of the man reacted to the events during the World War II。 I listened to the audio version of this book， and felt that it was very easy to listen。 The narrator had good pacing and enunciation。Overall this is an excellent memoir from one of the brave servicemen who served during World War II。 I have read a number off memoirs from World War II servicemen， and this one is definitely in the top half。 It provides great insight into the war。 Thank you to @netgalley @macmillanaudio for a free ARC for an honest review of this book 。。。more
Anna
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Frank Murphy was a navigator with the 100th Bombardment Group in World War II。 In Luck of the Draw， you will experience a sense of duty that Murphy and the crews of the era felt。 Fly on combat missions with him， and remember The Great Escape？ Take a step back in time and experience one of history’s most famous prison breaks。 You’ll be in awe while reading Murphy’s story。
Sharon
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I won an ARC of this book through Goodreads。 I was told the book was mailed October 31。 It is now December 6 and I never received the book。 Goodreads says they are unable to do anything about the missing book until 12 weeks after the giveaway ended。 I would have liked to read the book， but it looks like I won't get the opportunity。 I won an ARC of this book through Goodreads。 I was told the book was mailed October 31。 It is now December 6 and I never received the book。 Goodreads says they are unable to do anything about the missing book until 12 weeks after the giveaway ended。 I would have liked to read the book， but it looks like I won't get the opportunity。 。。。more
Mary Vogelsong
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Frank Murphy was a World War II pilot， shot down over enemy territory。 His story is quite similar to other accounts， with minor exceptions。 Unlike the books that chronicle the brutality of life in a German POW camp， Murphy’s time of incarceration seems more like an episode of Hogan’s Heroes。 He played in a band and took part in skits and plays。 He received letters and packages from home and the Red Cross。 Only toward the end of the war when the fleeing Germans marched their POWs through the snow Frank Murphy was a World War II pilot， shot down over enemy territory。 His story is quite similar to other accounts， with minor exceptions。 Unlike the books that chronicle the brutality of life in a German POW camp， Murphy’s time of incarceration seems more like an episode of Hogan’s Heroes。 He played in a band and took part in skits and plays。 He received letters and packages from home and the Red Cross。 Only toward the end of the war when the fleeing Germans marched their POWs through the snow did conditions become cruel， with those unable to keep up left to die in the snow。Perhaps most interesting， Murphy was in the same POW camp that inspired the （based on fact） movie， The Great Escape （1963）， starring a motorcycle-riding Steve McQueen。 However， Murphy lived in a different sector of the camp and was not part of the prison break。Murphy requested a transfer with two friends to that sector， but he had just joined the band and he didn't want to disappoint his bandmates。 Murphy made the hard decision to decline the transfer。Of the 76 who snuck out of the camp， only three made it to England。 The Gestapo captured and executed 50 men on direct orders from Adolf Hitler。 Twenty-three were recaptured and returned to prison。The title of Murphy’s book， Luck of the Draw， underscores the idea that he could have been killed on any mission， but luck played out for him to return home to his family after the war。Murphy’s story is short。 Evidently， it was published previously and is being re-released with a forward by family members， a list of his crew members， pages and pages of acknowledgments， an introduction， an extensive prologue， a broad back-story leading to WWII， including the history of military aircraft。 My husband and I listened on a trip in our car for over an hour and the actual story about Murphy still hadn’t started。 When it did， it began with his ancestors and his formative years。 After Murphy relates his story， seven appendices and a bibliography are added at the end。 Most of the information that bookends the meat of this volume are tedious facts， more suitable for a reference book。For lack of enjoyable content， I can only offer three stars for Luck of the Draw。 。。。more
Jeremy Booty
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The history of the Eighth Air Force is a storied one。 It has been recounted many times by historians and participants alike。 Frank Murphy falls into the latter category。 I was at first discouraged by a long discourse over the history of the tactics developed in the run of to WWII， various moves his family made while growing up and his grammar school education。 I nearly gave up but I'm glad I didn't。 All of this was， I think， Murphy's way of doing as good and as thorough a job as he could。 Throug The history of the Eighth Air Force is a storied one。 It has been recounted many times by historians and participants alike。 Frank Murphy falls into the latter category。 I was at first discouraged by a long discourse over the history of the tactics developed in the run of to WWII， various moves his family made while growing up and his grammar school education。 I nearly gave up but I'm glad I didn't。 All of this was， I think， Murphy's way of doing as good and as thorough a job as he could。 Throughout the book we see this with a myriad of lists of who took part in various raids， their ranks etc。 I quickly discovered I could skip these parts and lose nothing。 By the end of the book I understood that all of these men meant a great deal to him and for him these additional details were not just important from a historical point of view but that to leave them out would have been disloyal to their memory。 Accuracy also is very important to Murphy。 One important example is that of the raid on Munster on October 10， 1943。 Many of those involved， as well as some historians， have stated that the aiming point for the raid was the center of the city and the civilian population。 THis would have been a significant change in strategy since the US， at the time， had an explicit policy to bomb strategic targets and not civillian population Importantly， Murphy， a navigator， and his friend the bombardier Augie Casper were not told that at all and believed the aiming point was the rail yards。 Decades later， the matter is still controverted。 Murphy cared enough to hire a plane to retrace the route of the raid and talk with German eye witnesses。 He found that all of the targets proposed as "the " aiming point were in fact lined up in a direct line and states from first hand experience that it was not unusual for different groups to be given different aiming points。 Murphy is meticulous in describing what transpired prior to and after raids and during his captivity。 He makes an equal effort in describing what went on during them but in the end says simply that unless you have been in combat yourself there is no way to describe it。 Irrespective of his opinion， he does a fine job describing the famous raid on Regensburg in August of 1943。 Writing over 40 years later， he ably describes what it felt like in the immediate aftermath of a raid， even what the interior of the aircraft looked and smelled like。There is no doubt this book could have used an editor。 However， Murphy was an actor in and witness to some of histories greatest air battles and survived a different sort of ordeal as a POW。 He， thankfully， was also a superb writer who had the ability to put us at the scene。 Despite its flaws， this book deserves 5 stars。 。。。more
Glen
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I won this book in a goodreads drawing。A WWII pilot describes his time during the war， flying with the 100 Bombardment Group， which saw a lot of action over Europe。 Very informative。 I'm glad he wrote about it so the history of that unit is not lost。 I won this book in a goodreads drawing。A WWII pilot describes his time during the war， flying with the 100 Bombardment Group， which saw a lot of action over Europe。 Very informative。 I'm glad he wrote about it so the history of that unit is not lost。 。。。more
Jan
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Nov 12， 2022 Meticulously documented and yet very personal。Very detailed info on air raids of the European war perfect for Air Force personnel past and present。As a civilian， while I felt outclassed in much of the narrative and the extensive appendices， the years in the Stalag were personalized and moving。 It's a book well worth diving into again and again。I requested and received a free ebook copy from St。 Martin's Press/St。 Martin's Griffin via NetGalley。 Thank youJan 06， 2023 I was very fortu Nov 12， 2022 Meticulously documented and yet very personal。Very detailed info on air raids of the European war perfect for Air Force personnel past and present。As a civilian， while I felt outclassed in much of the narrative and the extensive appendices， the years in the Stalag were personalized and moving。 It's a book well worth diving into again and again。I requested and received a free ebook copy from St。 Martin's Press/St。 Martin's Griffin via NetGalley。 Thank youJan 06， 2023 I was very fortunate to receive a temporary audio copy from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley。 This was a great improvement for me。 Jonas Moore is an excellent voice actor and greatly added to the interpretation of all parts of the journal。"The epic true story of an American hero who flew during WWII， soon to be featured in the upcoming Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks TV Series， Masters of the Air。" 。。。more
Laura
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