Thrice Caught: An American Army Pow's 900 Days Under Axis Guns

by Odell Myers

For POWs of any war, talking about what happened to them is difficult. But even more painful is talking about what happened inside them. The physical, mental, and emotional effects never quite heal. They serve as constant reminders of the ordeal. This gripping memoir tells the story of Second Lieutenant Odell Myers, a pilot in the 438th Squadron, 319th Medium Bombardment Group, 12th USAAF, who was captured by the Germans on three different occasions and imprisoned for almost three years. It is also the story of the men who were imprisoned with him. He was first seized on December 4, 1942, after his plane was shot down over Bizerte, Tunisia, then hospitalized in North Africa and Sicily, and finally imprisoned in Chieti, Italy. The Italian surrender on September 8, 1943, caused his release, but he obeyed an Allied order to remain at the camp in Chieti and was then captured again and sent to a transient camp in Italy. On his first night there he escaped and held out for five weeks before he was captured the third time north of the Biferno River. He was sent to a camp at Barth, Pomerania, where he remained until liberated by Russian forces on May 1, 1945.

164 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002