The Final Mission: A Boy, a Pilot, and a World at War

by Elizabeth Hoban, Lt. Col. Henry Supchak

The Inspiring True Story of a World War II Bomber Pilot Who Saved an Austrian Village—and the Incredible Search Across a Lifetime to Repay That Debt In July 1944, Lt. Henry Supchak was flying his second-to-last mission over Germany when his B-17 bomber, Priority Gal , was hit by antiaircraft fire, disabling two engines and wounding him in the thigh. He attempted to reach neutral Switzerland, but was forced instead to order his eight crewmen to bail out over Austria. As Supchak prepared to abandon his aircraft he saw that it was on a collision course with an Alpine village. He instinctively got back into his seat, adjusted the controls, and barely escaped before the plane exploded at the base of a mountain. He parachuted into a pasture where a shepherd boy and his aunt stared in disbelief at this “man who fell from the sky.” Almost immediately, German infantry surrounded the pilot and took him away to solitary confinement. Although slightly burned by the exploding aircraft, the boy managed to find out where the wounded pilot was being held and snuck food and water to him before Supchak and his crew were taken away to a notorious prison camp for the rest of the war. Liberated by Patton’s Third Army in April 1945, Supchak remained in the air force after World War II and even advised Gregory Peck during the filming of Twelve O’Clock High . But he carried deep scars from his war experience. Plagued by flashbacks, Supchak attempted to find closure. Opening up to his family and others about his aircombat missions and internment failed to rid him of the nagging dreams as he had hoped. But an inspired quest to find his former crew members before they all passed away put the pilot on a path of peace. A world away, an Austrian entrepreneur was searching for Supchak, the enemy pilot he had seen fall from the sky as a boy and whom he had never forgotten. Despite incredible odds, the pilot and the boy were able to meet again at the spot where Priority Gal had gone down, in a magical, miraculous reunion of closure. Beautifully written with honesty and emotion, The Final A Boy, a Pilot, and a World at War is a gripping and uplifting story of forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing from the devastation of war.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2012

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always impressed when reading about some of our WWII veterans experiences and this book didn't disappoint me. In fact, I finished it in two days; first time I've done that since I was a kid. It is the true story of an American B-17 pilot who diverted his plane as it was headed for a crash landing to save and Austrian village and how things often come full circle. It really held my interest so I just kept reading until I finished it. Highly recommended particularly for those with an interest in WWII era.

[Brittanie]

I loved this book so much. I may have had to read it for just a class at school but this is now my favorite book. There were many times that I had to remind myself that this wasn't a fictional book. This man's story is so wonderfully written and if I ever got the chance I would love to go to the places mentioned in this book.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My next door neighbor, Mr. Valencia, had been in a POW camp in WWII. Every morning, he walked outside and raised his American flag. I never asked him about his experiences as I was concerned it would upset him. And it's true that most WWII vets spoke little of their service, especially those who were starved and tortured in POW camps, whether German or Japanese.

This book was co-written by a WWII POW camp survivor in an attempt to finally rid himself of the nightmares he still endured decades later at the age of 92. He had been flying his B-17 bomber on his 33rd mission, headed to Munich, when he was shot down in Austria. His crew bailed out, but he stayed at the controls when he realized his plane would crash into a village. He managed to steer his crippled plane away from the town before bailing out and then being captured by the SS.

If all your knowledge about Americans in German POW camps comes from watching "Hogan's Heroes," I highly recommend The Final Mission for more understanding of what these heroes actually endured.

[Liz Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book after reading an article in the local newspaper. This was an absolutely touching memoir that made me cry at times. The story of Lt. Col. Henry Supchak and his crew is something everyone should read. As we are losing WWII vets, it is important we don't lose the history they lived and the stories they have to tell. I am so glad I came upon this book.

[Moonshadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I’m not a fan of NF books about WWII only read it because a friend got me a copy.

It was a. Wry well written, true story of a bomber Pilot. How interesting could that be, right?

I found this book interesting, incredibly moving, and a great example of a man from the greatest generation ever produced by America.

[Joseph Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent memoir by a 93 year old WWII bomber pilot who was shot down over Germany during his 33d bombing mission. The book describes in vivid detail what flight was like in one of these old bombers. It describes the author's year in German POW camps, and it charts the long shadow that post traumatic stress from the war cast on his life. Supchak co-wrote this book with his daughter, Elizabeth Hoban, and one of the remarkable qualities of the book is the age of the author and the clarity of his memories and thoughts. When he was flying over the Normandy beaches on D-Day, and describes the soldiers on the beach scrambling across it like ants--and when he says, it was a vision that would haunt you for life, clearly, the 93 year old man knows where-of he speaks. This is also the moving story of reconciliation as he talks about his efforts to relocate his lost crewmen. He indeed finds all of his crewman except one who died of head injuries suffered during the war. Supchak is also re-united with an Austrian man who, as a shepherd boy, saw Supchak divert his plane from a village and crash it into a mountainside. The Austrian, now a well-to-do businessman, seeks to bring Supchak back to the spot where his mission ended and in an act of tremendous grace and generosity he helps Supchak over-come some of the grief that the war brought into his life. I highly recommend this remarkable memoir.

[Kevin Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This great story, told by Lt. Col. Henry Supchak and written by his daughter Elizabeth Hoban, has you experiencing the mission of a 'greatest generation' B-17 bomber crew that ends up being brought down over Germany and subsequently captured and imprisoned.

But prior to being the last to parachute out, Pilot Supchak's heroics of guiding his crippled bomber away from a collision course with an Alpine village is witnessed by two residents of that village, a 6-year-old shepherd boy and his aunt, as they stared in disbelief at this “man who fell from the sky.”

The boy managed to find out where the wounded pilot was being held and at great risk snuck food and water to him before Supchak and his crew were taken away to a notorious enemy prison camp (that was within sight of Auschwitz) for the rest of the war.

Six decades later and a world away, this boy-now-successful-Austrian-entrepreneur began searching for the enemy pilot he had seen fall from the sky and whom he had never forgotten for saving his village.

Wonderfully written, this is a gripping and uplifting story of reunion, forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a Flagpole Radio Café show at which Henry Supchak and his daughter, the authors, were there. Jim Allyn honored Henry's journey with a song he wrote called "Priority Gal" during the show, and afterwards in the Edmond Town Hall lobby, Jim and the guest artist, Elizabeth Von Trapp, serenaded him with "Eidelweiss". It was so touching, and is the more meaningful now that I've read his story. It's not just a war story, it follows his life through capture, imprisonment in Nazi camps, the war's end and the reintroduction to "normal life", and finally returning to the scene of his capture in Austria. To his amazement, this town where he crashed had already honored him for his heroic effort to guide his diving plane away from the village and into a field instead. It's a wonderful story.

[Splinker · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is this not a movie? What this guy did during and after the war is the perfect combination of heroism and karma. The story spans decades, talking us through Lt.Col. Supchak's final mission, his ordeal in a German POW camp, and the incredible events that culminated more than fifty-years later.
I don't want to say much more. Even though this is (incredibly) non-fiction, I think the less one knows going in, the greater the impact this story has.

I'll just say that since reading this book, I've seen the movie "Unbroken" and "Hacksaw Ridge." This story has them both beat. Easily.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must read for everyone. A WW2 B-17 pilot still alive to give us HIS story of events. It was written simply, in a way that everyone can really understand what he and his crew went through. I am so sorry I missed hearing him and his daughter speak at the Booth library this past year. He is a true hero.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Final Mission is an excellent account of a B-17 pilot - his heroism in WWII and his time after the war - hard to put this page-turner down!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story, well told.