Thanks to publisher Elliott & Thompson FlyPast has a hardback copy of the book to give away!

“The explosions were loud, sharp, crackling, ear-splitting sounds, like thunder accompanying nearby bolts of lightning coming in rapid succession – it was quite terrifying. Not since I was a little boy petrified with fright by that first intense lightning and thunder of a rainstorm had I been so terrified of light and sound.”

The above is a short quote from Frank Murphy’s gripping World War Two memoir Luck of the Draw – My Story of the Air War in Europe – and you can read a longer extract in this magazine, starting on page 76. Frank will soon be portrayed in Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ greatly anticipated TV series, Masters of the Air. The book recounts the experiences of the late author, revealing how he and his USAAF B-17 crew fought for their lives in hostile skies over Germany during World War Two.

Despite Frank’s fear, which he relays in honest, heart-on-sleeve veracity, he and his colleagues pressed on regardless. His bravery eventually resulted in him being awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal.