The Blister Club: The Downed American Airmen Who Escaped to Safety

The Blister Club: The Downed American Airmen Who Escaped to Safety With Michael Lee Lanning Part of 8th Air Force Week 2 on WW2TV    • 8th Air Force Week   POW and Internment Camps    • POW and Internment Camps in WWII   More Strategic Bombing content on WW2TV    • Strategic Bombing in WWII   Some 10,000 American bombers and fighters were shot down over Europe. Of the crews aboard, 26,000 men were killed, while 30,000 survived being shot down only to be captured and made prisoners of war. Against the longest of odds, nearly 3,000 airmen made it to the ground alive, evaded capture, and escaped to safety. These men proudly called themselves the Blister Club. In today's show, our guest Michael Lee Lanning tells the story of these courageous airmen. They had received escape-and-evasion (E & E) training, and some were lucky enough to land with their E-&-E kits - but all bets were off once they hit the ground. They landed after an air catastrophe. The geography was usually unfamiliar. Civilians might or might not be trustworthy. German soldiers and Gestapo agents hunted down airmen as well as civilians who dared help them. If an airman abandoned his uniform for civilian garb, he forfeited Geneva Convention protections. Most faced the daunting task of escaping on foot across hundreds of miles. The fortunate connected with one of the established escape routes to Spain or Switzerland or across the English Channel, or they hooked up with the underground resistance or friendly civilians. Upon return to friendly lines, these men were often able to provide valuable intelligence about enemy troop dispositions and civilian morale. Michael Lee Lanning is the author of a series of non-fiction and military histories, which have been reviewed in publications as diverse as the New York Times, Infantry Magazine, and Soldier of Fortune. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after more than twenty years in the U.S. Army where he served all across the United States, in Southeast Asia, and in Germany. In Vietnam he led an infantry platoon, a reconnaissance platoon, and a rifle company. In addition to other command and staff positions, he acted as public affairs officer for General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and served as a member of the Department of Defense Public Affairs office. During his time in uniform he earned the Senior Parachute Badge, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star with “V” device and two oak leaf clusters, the Defense Meritorious Medal and a dozen additional commendation and service awards. http://michaelleelanning.com/index.html Buy the Book: UK https://uk.bookshop.org/a/5843/978081... USA https://bookshop.org/a/21029/97808117... Other WW2TV shows that may be of interest: The Dutch-Paris Escape Line https://www.youtube.com/live/3vWmwfHMb7o You can become a YouTube Member and support us here    / @ww2tv   You can become a Patron here   / ww2tv   Please click subscribe for updates Social Media links -   / ww2tv     / ww2tv     / ww2tv   WW2TV Bookshop - where you can purchase copies of books featured in my YouTube shows. Any book listed here comes with the personal recommendation of Paul Woodadge, the host of WW2TV. For full disclosure, if you do buy a book through a link from this page WW2TV will earn a commission. UK - https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV USA - https://bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV