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Down In Flames
War and Captivity - Life and Death - Fear and Bravery.
A remarkable true story of World War II that takes you along through the hell of aerial combat against high odds, and the harsh life of survivors in Nazi prison camps. A tale well told, it will give you insight into the courage and character of our gallant young airmen who paved the way for the invasion of Fortress Europe and our ultimate victory over Hitler's Germany.
Hogan's Heroes has nothing on Ray Parker's true story of his time as a POW during WWII. As part of the allied effort of relentless bombings that brought Germany and Italy to their knees, the daytime bombing raids finally caught up with Ray and his crew. Shot down over enemy territory during his 10th mission, he was able to parachute out of his burning B-24 bomber before it crashed to the ground. Immediately captured by the Germans, he was taken to Stalag Luft 1 prison camp.
There he was approached by the Senior American Officer to write the underground newspaper, an integral part of keeping up the spirits of the 9,000 allied prisoners who, until then, had only the propaganda that the Germans were feeding them to go by. With a radio hidden in a wall, notes hidden in a watch with no workings and his great sense of humor, Ray was able to keep up the moral of the imprisoned airmen. His paper, the POW - WOW (Prisoners of War Waiting On Winning) spread hope through reports of the D-Day invasion, the Liberation of Paris and the Allies march on Germany until his work was discovered by his captors only one month before the war ended.
The harsh realities of what it took to become a part of the "Greatest Generation," as can only be told by someone who lived it.
As of 2015, we are losing our amazing WWII veterans, like Ray Parker, at a rate of 1 every 3 minutes. Much later in life Ray realized that he needed to share his story with the country that he so fiercely battled for, for himself, and for all the other men and women who gave their courage, sacrifice and love selflessly for their country.