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My Private War: Liberated Body, Captive Mind: A World War II POW's Journey
1944: Norm Bussel finds himself bailing out of a burning B-17 bomber only months after his twentieth birthday. Touching down in a field outside Berlin, Norm was immediately seized by local farmhands, who were in the process of lynching him when a passing German soldier put a stop to the execution. For the next year, Norm would struggle to survive at the hands of the Nazis as a prisoner of war.
The rage and emotional turmoil he suffered during that year of suffering would follow him home, denying him the peace and stability he longed for. This is one soldier’s searing and honest story of his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The rage and emotional turmoil he suffered during that year of suffering would follow him home, denying him the peace and stability he longed for. This is one soldier’s searing and honest story of his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2008
About the author
Norman Bussel
2 books1 followerNorman Bussel was born in Memphis, Tenn. and currently lives in Mohegan Lake, N.Y. During World War II, he served as a radio operator/gunner on a B-17 bomber. Flying out of Rattlesden, England on April 29, 1944, he was shot down over Berlin with four of his crew losing their lives. He was interned in Stalag Luft IV.
His memoir, MY PRIVATE WAR--Liberated Body, Captive Mind, a World War II POW's Journey, was published by Pegasus Books on November 8, 2008. "
His memoir, MY PRIVATE WAR--Liberated Body, Captive Mind, a World War II POW's Journey, was published by Pegasus Books on November 8, 2008. "
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 29, 2018
Not many POWs from this time period talk about PTSD and what that meant for them. In part because there wasn't the formal language to talk about like we have now and partly because this generation did not talk about such things at all.
Interesting how the author talks about being angry and on edge for the entire time he was a prisoner (a year) and what that does to someone, in his case, a life-long mental scar impacting everything.
Interesting how the author talks about being angry and on edge for the entire time he was a prisoner (a year) and what that does to someone, in his case, a life-long mental scar impacting everything.
November 11, 2025
Disclaimer: I've met the author before, and he lives near me. An awesome guy.
This is really one of the most underrated war memoirs I've read. Norm was a POW in Germany during WWII, and as a German-American of Jewish descent, his situation was even more precarious. This book explains Norm's wartime experiences, as well as his time trying to psychologically recover from his experiences. I cannot rate this book highly enough.
This is really one of the most underrated war memoirs I've read. Norm was a POW in Germany during WWII, and as a German-American of Jewish descent, his situation was even more precarious. This book explains Norm's wartime experiences, as well as his time trying to psychologically recover from his experiences. I cannot rate this book highly enough.
June 2, 2023
Eye opening, distressing and phenomenal, an incredible read chronicling the life of a POW even after he came home. I learnt so much from this book, I’m absolutely stunned at the amount of humanity the school curriculum has removed from their history lessons.
May 12, 2021
School taught us a little about how pows were treated in Germany but nobody ever talks about the way they were treated when they came home. Very eye opening.
August 24, 2026
Bussel's emphasis in this autobiography is upon his PTSD. How he became a POW and endured maltreatment, along with the legacy he battled thereafter are well-described.
November 28, 2022
This was an incredible and heartbreaking read. I knew so little about the POWs as most WW2 teaching focusses on The Holocaust and the concentration camps.
It's horrific to read about the conditions in the POW camps and not at all surprising the mental health troubles that this experience left the POWs with. When you read about the lack of food and medical care and everything else they went through, it is amazing that so many managed to survive the experience.
This whole book wasn't horrific though, there were some really beautiful moments. The training and camaraderie between the boys was fun. It was great to see how they all helped each other throughout the war itself and the rest of their lives.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about WW2 than they teach you in school. I think it is much easier to get an idea of what these sorts of situations were like when you follow the story of one person who lived it, rather than learning about it in an abstract way.
I learnt so much from this book and it has confirmed that I want to read more books like this and learn more about our history, especially in the areas where my school education was lacking.
It's horrific to read about the conditions in the POW camps and not at all surprising the mental health troubles that this experience left the POWs with. When you read about the lack of food and medical care and everything else they went through, it is amazing that so many managed to survive the experience.
This whole book wasn't horrific though, there were some really beautiful moments. The training and camaraderie between the boys was fun. It was great to see how they all helped each other throughout the war itself and the rest of their lives.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about WW2 than they teach you in school. I think it is much easier to get an idea of what these sorts of situations were like when you follow the story of one person who lived it, rather than learning about it in an abstract way.
I learnt so much from this book and it has confirmed that I want to read more books like this and learn more about our history, especially in the areas where my school education was lacking.
November 17, 2013
My great-uncle was also POW during World War II after being shot down over Germany in a B-17. He was, in fact, also assigned to the 447th Bombardment Group, the same bomb group as the author of this book. I have read and re-read my uncle's account of his experiences many times, and while his telling of his experiences does leave the reader with some understanding of the hardships faced by POWs in Germany, I'm ever more convinced that his brief volume omits as much as it includes.
This book served to help fill in some of the gaps in my uncle's story for me. This is a much more detailed account of the struggle faced by those captured and held by the Germans during World War II. It is clear that, generally, the Germans made little effort to provide most basic necessities for the POWs, and random violence and brutality were common. What makes this particular memoir especially powerful, though, is that it doesn't end with liberation, as most such accounts tend to do. Instead, the author describes his struggles in adjusting to life in the aftermath of having been a POW. It is quite clear that these experiences left long lasting scars on his psyche, which continue to impact his life today. By continuing to tell his story beyond liberation, this author has done a huge service, showing that even after the physical wounds have long healed, the psychic damage suffered by POWs can leave them emotionally crippled for decades.
This book can be roughly divided into three parts: the author's military training and preparation for war; his experiences overseas in combat and as a POW; and his post-war experiences. Each portion of this book is well written and provides a vivid look at that chapter of the author's life. By taking the reader from training, on into combat and the struggle to survive as a POW, and finally into the ongoing difficulties in trying to cope with the after effects, this book provides great insights into how such emotional damage occurs, and how the impact lingers.
This book served to help fill in some of the gaps in my uncle's story for me. This is a much more detailed account of the struggle faced by those captured and held by the Germans during World War II. It is clear that, generally, the Germans made little effort to provide most basic necessities for the POWs, and random violence and brutality were common. What makes this particular memoir especially powerful, though, is that it doesn't end with liberation, as most such accounts tend to do. Instead, the author describes his struggles in adjusting to life in the aftermath of having been a POW. It is quite clear that these experiences left long lasting scars on his psyche, which continue to impact his life today. By continuing to tell his story beyond liberation, this author has done a huge service, showing that even after the physical wounds have long healed, the psychic damage suffered by POWs can leave them emotionally crippled for decades.
This book can be roughly divided into three parts: the author's military training and preparation for war; his experiences overseas in combat and as a POW; and his post-war experiences. Each portion of this book is well written and provides a vivid look at that chapter of the author's life. By taking the reader from training, on into combat and the struggle to survive as a POW, and finally into the ongoing difficulties in trying to cope with the after effects, this book provides great insights into how such emotional damage occurs, and how the impact lingers.
November 5, 2012
This book captures what most people fail to understand about war: personal perspective and emotion. Bussel spares no one the pain and agony he and his comrades endured. It is an honest and candid look into war times and the consequences soldiers have to come home with. A recommended read for WWII buffs, veterans, and family/friends of veterans who have seen combat.
April 4, 2011
Very good book about a soldier's experience in WWII; riveting detail about being a POW in Germany. Good reading and a MUST for any one who has had a relative live through the harrowing POW experience - no matter what war.
July 10, 2015
this book turned way more inspiring than I ever thought it would be! its absolutely an atrosity what happened! a definite must read for everyone!
April 28, 2017
During World war II, 20 year old Norman Bussel is drafted into the U.S. Army. While serving his time in the Air Force, he tells us of all his training and dedication along with the hardships he faces while living on base. In 1944 Norman and his team are assigned their first mission, they must fly a B-17 over Berlin and bomb their marked target. When things go South Norm bails out of the plane, and ends up landing in Nazi territory. Once he is captured he must survive 14 months in harsh conditions as a PoW in a German camp. He soon finds out that his real struggle has only begun.
As you read this book you learn about the struggles that Norman endured through PoW camp, such as little food, cold weather, little clothes, filth, bad treatment and other awful things. Although his real battle starts when he needs to adapt to his home life. Throughout the book Norm fights against PTSD, he struggles with flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, claustrophobia, and many other problems and the only thing that seems to help is alcohol. While reading this I have a new appreciation for our soldiers and the hard time they go through, and the sacrifices they make for our country.
As you read this book you learn about the struggles that Norman endured through PoW camp, such as little food, cold weather, little clothes, filth, bad treatment and other awful things. Although his real battle starts when he needs to adapt to his home life. Throughout the book Norm fights against PTSD, he struggles with flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, claustrophobia, and many other problems and the only thing that seems to help is alcohol. While reading this I have a new appreciation for our soldiers and the hard time they go through, and the sacrifices they make for our country.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews