Saving Downed Aircrew

A former U.S. Army Special Forces officer, Simkin has written multiple articles for Small Wars Journal, the United States Naval Institute, and other publications. In Home Run he offers a stirring discussion of the Allied escape and evasion experience in both the European and Pacific Theaters, told in an engaging and succinct manner.

The book has seventeen short chapters, divided into “Evaders” or “Escapers,” delineated as those who found themselves in enemy territory but avoided hostile forces, either with or without outside help, and those who were captured by the enemy and then managed to escape, either with or without assistance (p. 4).

Whether "Evader" or "Escaper," the object was to safely reach freedom, thus a make a "Home Run", a seminal event aptly celebrated in the book’s title; by war’s end, over 35,000 Allied personnel, mostly aircrew, could make this enviable boast. (p. 2)

Simkin devotes the first six chapters to background and organizational matters. He begins with an introductory chapter in which he establishes certain baselines and other useful explanations, along with other concepts which aid the reader in better understanding the at times arcane nature of the content quickly and efficiently. Chapter 2 covers “Allied Escape Organizations,” such as the British MI-9 and the American MIS-X, with a thorough explanation of their backstory along with progression from small to large operations as the war progressed. Chapter 3 addresses “Essentials and Escape Devices” produced by the Allied intelligence organizations, including their development and their incorporation into the aircrew training and equipment, such as hidden button compasses and maps; while other personnel might receive smuggled, forged, or improvised items once captured, and even “ersatz” German uniforms. (p. 127)

Chapters 4 through 6 concern Allied intra-camp organization in revealing detail, such as prisoner jargon, along with the typical organization of German and Japanese POW camps. Simkin focuses on several camps as representative examples of what Allied personnel might encounter, such as the German camps Dulag Luft, Stalag Luft III, Oflag IV-C (Colditz), Stalag IX-B (Bad Orb), and Berga, along with the Japanese camps at Seoul, Changi, Thai-Burma Railway, Cabanatuan, and Omori.

Chapters 7 through 11 offer many harrowing vignettes from a range of escape and evasion routes which operated at great risk during the war, mostly in Europe but also in Asia. In particular, the Comet Line which ran from Belgium into France and then neutral Spain, operated exclusively by daring local resistance fighters with help from MI-9. Next, he discusses the Rome Escape Line, which conducted Allied personnel out of Italy and the Shelburne Line which likewise conducted personnel from France’s Brittany region to England. Then Simkin shifts to the Pacific, discussing first the Indragiri River Line that helped those fleeing Singapore reach safety, and lastly efforts within China to save Allied and friendly personnel via the tireless efforts of the British Army Aid Group (BAAG) and the American Air Ground Aid Service (AGAS) across vast distances.

Chapters 12 through15 cover thrilling escapes from both Europe and Asia, discussing specifically small group assisted, single person unassisted, mass escapes/evasions assisted and mass escapes/evasions unassisted. He thereby provides the reader with an important comparison of different examples, running the gamut of escape permutation journeys with gut-wrenching anecdotal evidence of the varied pitfalls and successes.

Chapters 16 and 17 provide closure with varying tales of eventual liberation, whether by the advancing Allied military or other agents, and finally a cumulative epilogue of the postwar era, including the myriad challenges of reintegration into civilian life.

Simkin weaves together a compelling narrative, with great skill in a readable text. Considering that he attempts to cover both the British and American overarching approaches, he succeeds despite limitations. While the British MI-9 seems well documented, the American MIS-X has almost nothing to document its activities, owing to draconian wartime secrecy. Simkin also contrasts the German with Japanese treatment of prisoners by elucidating the differences between their methods and peculiarities present in one theater but not in the other. For all of the normally negative Third Reich associations, they were more apt to follow the Hague 1907 and/or Geneva 1929 guidelines while the Japanese refused to so. This proclivity translated to much higher mortality rates in the Pacific Theater and the cruel reminder that Imperial Japan was far more brutal in its handling of prisoners. About 96% of those captured by Germany returned home, compared to only 70% of those captured by Japan. (p. 7)

Finally, Simkin tells us that the lessons learned during World War II by the Allies were kept secret in the knowledge that they would be needed again, possibly soon, in another confrontation which makes the information in the book more recently released to the public particularly valuable.

Amid all Simkin’s successes, there remains an editing oversight, with examples such as, “Berga was guarded by Wehrmacht troops” (p. 52) or “Wehrmacht uniform” (p. 127). He mistakenly uses Wehrmacht, an umbrella term representing all three German armed forces branches – Army, Navy, and Air Force, excluding Himmler’s SS, instead of the more accurate Heer or German Army.

Home Run provides a concise treatment of an overlooked topic that will appeal to many readers and bridges both the European and Pacific Theaters. It provides missing insights on many aspects of the Allied escape and evasion experience in “a soup to nuts” [p. vii] approach peppered with tales of bravery, cowardice, betrayal, sacrifice, ingenuity, incredible luck, and triumph.

Home Run book belongs on every World War II bookshelf, filling in the gaps on what is known about this oft-mentioned but little understood topic of wartime escape and evasion.

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Note: Home Run is also available in audio- and e-editions.

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