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Flights for Freedom
The dangers of flying an open-cockpit WWI aeroplane were many. Flights for Freedom is the exciting story of one brave American flyer - "Petrol" Petronas of the 17th Aero Squadron - as he learns to master the undisciplined two-winged fighter called a Sopwith Camel.
Shot down over France during the course of a bruising air battle, Petrol is then shuttled from safehouse to safehouse by a beautiful yet defiant woman of the Dutch Resistance.
In the background is the poppy-covered landscape known to us as Flanders Fields, a battlefield choked with dead and dying soldiers. Children, orphaned by the war, find safety with a kindly Catholic priest, who raises carrier pigeons vital to the war effort on the rooftop of his Abbey. Every day, his birds carry secret messages to and from the frontlines for Signal Corps.
Life-threatening challenges lay at every turn.
Two thousand volts pulsate through the electrified border fence that separates Holland from Belgium, enough to kill a man. The trick in crossing the border alive is in knowing who to bribe and how much to pay. Otherwise, there is no way for a downed American flyer to get safely across the heavily patrolled border into Holland and back to England.
Will Petrol make it back to England alive? Will he make it back carrying the top-secret plans for an advanced gunsight that has been smuggled at great risk out of Holland hidden inside an embroidered cotton flour sack?
Join the story and find out.
Steven Burgauer is the author of two well-known World War Two books, Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou and The Road to Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture .
Shot down over France during the course of a bruising air battle, Petrol is then shuttled from safehouse to safehouse by a beautiful yet defiant woman of the Dutch Resistance.
In the background is the poppy-covered landscape known to us as Flanders Fields, a battlefield choked with dead and dying soldiers. Children, orphaned by the war, find safety with a kindly Catholic priest, who raises carrier pigeons vital to the war effort on the rooftop of his Abbey. Every day, his birds carry secret messages to and from the frontlines for Signal Corps.
Life-threatening challenges lay at every turn.
Two thousand volts pulsate through the electrified border fence that separates Holland from Belgium, enough to kill a man. The trick in crossing the border alive is in knowing who to bribe and how much to pay. Otherwise, there is no way for a downed American flyer to get safely across the heavily patrolled border into Holland and back to England.
Will Petrol make it back to England alive? Will he make it back carrying the top-secret plans for an advanced gunsight that has been smuggled at great risk out of Holland hidden inside an embroidered cotton flour sack?
Join the story and find out.
Steven Burgauer is the author of two well-known World War Two books, Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou and The Road to Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture .
334 pages, Paperback
Published September 8, 2021
About the author
Steven Burgauer
21 books55 followersSteven Burgauer, Biography
Avid hiker, Eagle Scout, and founder of a mutual fund, Steven Burgauer resides in Florida. A graduate of Illinois State University and the New York Institute of Finance, Steve writes science fiction and historic fiction. A member of the Society of Midland Authors, Steven is included in The Dictionary of Midwestern Literature, Volume 2: Dimensions of the Midwestern Literary Imagination and the ALA’s Librarian’s Guide to Cyborgs, Aliens, and Sorcerers by Derek M. Buker.
Burgauer’s The Road to War: Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture is based on the journals of an American WWII infantryman who landed at Normandy, was wounded and taken prisoner by the Nazis. Publishers Daily Reviews says of it: Five-plus unequivocal stars . . . an extraordinary read that everyone should enjoy.
Some of his SF titles include The Grandfather Paradox, The Railguns of Luna, The Fornax Drive, and SKULLCAP. Other books of his include The Night of the Eleventh Sun, a Neanderthal’s first encounter with man, and The Wealth Builder’s Guide: An Investment Primer. Steven contributed to the zany, serial mystery, Naked Came the Farmer, headlined by Philip Jose Farmer.
His work has been reviewed in many places, including LOCUS, the EUREKA LITERARY MAGAZINE, PUBLISHERS DAILY REVIEWS, MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, THE BOOK REVIEWERS, BOOKVIRAL, and PROMETHEUS, the journal of the Libertarian Futurist Society. Science Fiction Chronicle (June 2001) says of his The Railguns of Luna: Steven Burgauer writes old style science fiction in which heroes and villains are easily identified, the action is fast and furious, and the plot twists and turns uncontrollably . . . This is action adventure written straight-forwardly and not meant to be heavily literary or provide pithy commentary on the state of humanity.
Of his book Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou, The Book Reviewers write: “An engaging, slow-burning wartime thriller with an epic feel and a large cast of characters.” Midwest Book Review writes: “In a war that rips apart entire worlds, who can truly be the winner? Add a dash of romance to the intrigue for a solid World War II thriller that’s intricate, frighteningly realistic, and hard to put down.”
When Steven lived in Illinois, the State of Illinois Library included him in a select group of authors invited to the state’s Authors’ Day. He has often been a speaker and panel member at public library events and science-fiction conventions all across the country.
His websites are:
http://sites.google.com/site/stevenbu...
http://midlandauthors.com/burgauer.html
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
https://www.undergroundbookreviews.or...
https://www.facebook.com/TheRoadToWar...
Avid hiker, Eagle Scout, and founder of a mutual fund, Steven Burgauer resides in Florida. A graduate of Illinois State University and the New York Institute of Finance, Steve writes science fiction and historic fiction. A member of the Society of Midland Authors, Steven is included in The Dictionary of Midwestern Literature, Volume 2: Dimensions of the Midwestern Literary Imagination and the ALA’s Librarian’s Guide to Cyborgs, Aliens, and Sorcerers by Derek M. Buker.
Burgauer’s The Road to War: Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture is based on the journals of an American WWII infantryman who landed at Normandy, was wounded and taken prisoner by the Nazis. Publishers Daily Reviews says of it: Five-plus unequivocal stars . . . an extraordinary read that everyone should enjoy.
Some of his SF titles include The Grandfather Paradox, The Railguns of Luna, The Fornax Drive, and SKULLCAP. Other books of his include The Night of the Eleventh Sun, a Neanderthal’s first encounter with man, and The Wealth Builder’s Guide: An Investment Primer. Steven contributed to the zany, serial mystery, Naked Came the Farmer, headlined by Philip Jose Farmer.
His work has been reviewed in many places, including LOCUS, the EUREKA LITERARY MAGAZINE, PUBLISHERS DAILY REVIEWS, MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, THE BOOK REVIEWERS, BOOKVIRAL, and PROMETHEUS, the journal of the Libertarian Futurist Society. Science Fiction Chronicle (June 2001) says of his The Railguns of Luna: Steven Burgauer writes old style science fiction in which heroes and villains are easily identified, the action is fast and furious, and the plot twists and turns uncontrollably . . . This is action adventure written straight-forwardly and not meant to be heavily literary or provide pithy commentary on the state of humanity.
Of his book Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou, The Book Reviewers write: “An engaging, slow-burning wartime thriller with an epic feel and a large cast of characters.” Midwest Book Review writes: “In a war that rips apart entire worlds, who can truly be the winner? Add a dash of romance to the intrigue for a solid World War II thriller that’s intricate, frighteningly realistic, and hard to put down.”
When Steven lived in Illinois, the State of Illinois Library included him in a select group of authors invited to the state’s Authors’ Day. He has often been a speaker and panel member at public library events and science-fiction conventions all across the country.
His websites are:
http://sites.google.com/site/stevenbu...
http://midlandauthors.com/burgauer.html
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
https://www.undergroundbookreviews.or...
https://www.facebook.com/TheRoadToWar...
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September 24, 2021OVER THE FRONT
Volume 36, Number 4
WINTER 2021
League of World War I Aviation Historians
Flights for Freedom
Steven Burgauer, the author of two World War II novels, dives head-on into World War I with Flights for Freedom. A work of historical fiction, it blends actual events with imagination, intrigue, spies, and fliers into an entertaining tale of air war and espionage. It would not be right to give away too much of the story. But events on both sides of the Atlantic are covered, including a particularly descriptive treatment of the great explosion at Halifax in 1917 and a brief — perhaps obligatory — account of the death of Manfred von Richthofen. It should be mentioned, however, that the author has Captain Brown shooting at the Red Baron with “wing-mounted guns,” suggesting he momentarily slipped back into his World War II mindset. In addition to Roy Brown, other familiar names encountered include Lieutenant Howard C. Knotts and members of the 17th Aero Squadron, USAS. There is also at least one very familiar line encountered when a British MI6 agent introduces himself: “My name is Newkirk. Mallory Newkirk.” Having just seen the latest 007 film, I was not sure whether to groan or write this off as an homage. Given the movie writers worked the line in as many times as they possibly could, let’s go with the latter. Glitches aside, Flights for Freedom is an entertaining read. It is recommended. ■ James Streckfuss.
=======================================================
FLIGHTS for FREEDOM
Reviewed by Jill Murphy of “The Book Bag”
September 2021
It’s the later stages of World War I and the United States has just entered the conflict. Petrol Petronus is a young American who has signed up and joined the 17th Aero Squadron. This company was the first US Aero Squadron to be trained in Canada, the first to be attached to the RAF and the first to be sent into the skies to fight the Germans in active combat. But before that can happen, Petrol has to master flying the notoriously difficult but majestic Sopwith Camel.
Petrol is shot down in France and it is here his adventures really begin. He must make it through the network of resistance safe houses not just to save himself but also the war effort. Because he is in possession of secret intelligence — plans for an advanced gunsight — that could change the outcome for the Allies.
Along the way, Petrol will see the true horrors of the Great War — the flower of youth dead and dying in their thousands in the beautiful, poppy-strewn French countryside, the orphans left alone in the world, the horrors of occupation. But he also sees the good: the priest who shelters the children and runs a carrier pigeon network for the resistance, the ordinary men and women risking their lives for his own. He will also meet the woman of his dreams.
Will Petrol make it across the electrified fence separating occupied France from Holland and make it back to England? Will his vital intelligence make it with him? And can he avoid being separated from the woman he loves?
I really enjoyed this story. It is energetic and entertaining with a good narrative flow and plenty of tension and excitement so that you’re always wanting to turn the page. There’s a good cast of vivid, three dimensional characters and I promise you’ll fall in love with more than one of them. And I defy you not to root for Petrol every step of the way. The dialogue is robust — if sometimes politically incorrect! — and sparkling, full of wit and repartee. But what stands out is the painstaking research involved. Flights for Freedom is full of intricate and accurate historical detail in every respect and there were many things I found out for the first time while reading. But it’s show, not tell, so it doesn’t bog down the narrative flow.
If you enjoy any adventure stories, but particularly those based in war or espionage, Flights for Freedom will be right up your alley. It really is a satisfying read. You even get some cool information about embroidery and needlework. Not often that you’d find that in a war story!
Recommended.
We have reviewed other books by Steven, which are just as good: Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou, The Road To War: Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture and The Night of The Eleventh Sun.
===============================================
Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating:
5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
Flights for Freedom is a work of fiction in the military and historical subgenres and was penned by author Steven Burgauer. Set during the air fights and occupations of the First World War, this work is best suited to the adult reading audience and contains non-graphic references to the perils and violence of war. Our central protagonist is “Petrol” Petronas of the 17th Aero Squadron, an American who braves the uncovered cockpits of some of the most unpredictable planes. When Petrol is shot down in a battle over France, he finds himself in the hands of a beautiful woman from the Dutch Resistance, and he begins to learn of the underground efforts on the other side of the Channel to end the horrors of war.
Author Steven Burgauer delivers a visceral and atmospheric account of life under fire as he tells the tale of a brave pilot and the people who rally to get him home alive. One of the features I especially enjoyed about the work was its focus on ordinary people living under the pressures of war and how their small actions are just as heroic as those of the fighters high in the sky and in the trenches. Petrol was an enigmatic central figure, well balanced between his skills and his fears. The dialogue, too, was very effective at delivering some of the major plot elements in a more natural way without the need for a wall of prose. Overall, I would highly recommend Flights for Freedom to fans of immersive, accurate historical fiction with relatable characters and exciting plot twists.
===============================================
Flights for Freedom - A World War 1 Fighter Pilot Novel
The BookViral Review (September 29, 2021):
With successive generations, it can be easy to lose track of the epic scope of World War I but in “Flights for Freedom” Burgauer has given us a World War 1 Fighter Pilot Novel that creates vivid images and emotions that are easy to grasp. And in doing so he helps us make sense of the horror to which his novel portends.
From a purely literary perspective, it’s an outstanding achievement. And one that becomes increasingly more relevant as his plot progresses. Attaining a properly incredulous sense of horror at the sheer scope of carnage and the fleeting nature of life on the frontline. And leaving us with a poignant reminder of the way war can dehumanize us.
Every character in “Flights for Freedom” earns their place with Burgauer exploring their innermost aspirations, patriotic convictions and back-stories whilst key characters like Newkirk, Petrol, Adriana and the pigeon priest, Father Montagne, are the human anchors that convey the emotional resonance of Burgauer’s narrative.
Detailed yet oblique, leisurely but compelling. Burgauer’s research lifts “Flights for Freedom” above the run of the mill war and military action fiction as he solemnly and intelligently examines the fears, frustrations, anxiety’s, animosity’s and boredom of waiting to engage the enemy and the level of authenticity he achieves makes it an easy story to embrace. His aviators are the stuff of heroes and yet we never forget they are flesh and blood. Some barely old enough to shave and yet falling from the sky in tailspins and fireballs as they make aviation history.
Impeccably written ‘Flights for Freedom’ is nothing short of superb and is unreservedly recommended.
https://bookviralreviews.com/book-rev...
===========================================
Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating:
5 Stars — Congratulations on your 5-star review!
Flights for Freedom by Steven Burgauer is one of those unusual historical novels in that it seamlessly blends true and real characters from life with fictional characters. Set toward the end of the First World War, its primary focus is on the war in the air by the British. American pilots come to grips with this newfangled skill of flight and how it can be utilized against the dreaded Boche. Petrol Petronas is an American pilot serving as part of a squadron attached to the Royal Air Force. He is a man with a past that he is desperate to distance himself from — his family is a major Italian crime family in the United States. Petrol wants nothing to do with them. He is committed to fighting for his country and winning this war in the air. When Petrol crashes behind enemy lines, he is rescued from his wreckage by a sympathetic farmer aligned to an underground railway that smuggles downed British pilots back to England. His journey back to “Blighty” will bring him into contact with a variety of individuals, including a beautiful young woman spy, a grizzled British Intelligence agent who is carrying out a dangerous mission behind enemy lines, a Catholic priest who raises and supplies carrier pigeons to the British Army, and an elderly woman whose embroidery skills may be what is needed to change the course of the war, especially in the air. All of these different characters will change Petrol’s war and his focus irrevocably and forever.
Flights for Freedom is a fascinating story that encompasses a wide variety of arcs and storylines that somehow author Steven Burgauer manages to weave into a story jam-packed full of synchronicities and chance encounters. I particularly appreciated the historical notes about the real characters in Petrol’s squadron and their ultimate dispositions, albeit many of them with sad endings. The story itself takes so many twists and turns with the wide variety of actors, plots, and storylines that there is zero chance of any reader becoming bored with the plot. I found most interesting the incredibly widespread, systematic, and quite successful espionage operations carried out by the Germans during the war, especially against nations that were “neutral,” such as the United States, for much of the conflict. What makes this book ultimately successful is the beautifully crafted story of Petrol Petronas and his relationship with the British Intelligence operative combined with the factual information of the battles, the equipment, and the dangers of early aerial warfare. In many ways, the lack of technology available to the combatants makes the ingenuity of the participants even more incredible. The author did a superb job in his characterizations of all the participants in this ensemble cast. The interplay between Petronas and the British Intelligence officer was a definite highlight of the narrative. With all its twists and turns, this is an excellent read and one I can highly recommend.
=========================================
Reviewed by Tom Gauthier for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Flights for Freedom is the story of an American pilot during the embryonic years of military aviation during World War I. “Petrol” Petronas is assigned to the 17th Aero Squadron and is challenged to learn to fly the British bi-wing fighter plane dubbed the Sopwith Camel. Surviving and succeeding in a number of deadly encounters with the Germans, Petronas is finally shot down over France, skillfully landing a badly mauled aircraft made of wire, wood, and canvas. Shuttled from safehouse to safehouse, he is kept hidden by a strong and defiant woman of the Dutch Resistance, crossing vague borders into Belgium on a circuitous route back to England. Along the way we are introduced to many of the horrors visited on the civilian population by the Germans, termed the Huns by the Allied forces. We meet children orphaned by the war and the brave souls who care for them. One of those is a Catholic priest who is also a spy, raising and flying carrier pigeons on the rooftop of his abbey, and sending them out carrying secret messages to and from the frontlines for Signal Corps. Petronas himself becomes an unwilling spy after he stumbles into the middle of espionage and is befriended by a British MI5 agent. When the agent is injured, Petronas is pressed into taking his place on a mission to carry the top-secret plans for an advanced gunsight out of Holland, hidden inside an embroidered cotton flour sack.
Not an easy or safe task as he must make his way across the border that separates Holland from Belgium that is guarded by a lethal electric fence. If the downed American flyer is to get safely across the heavily patrolled and electrified border into Holland and back to England, he must learn who to bribe.
In Flights for Freedom, Steven Burgauer delivers a journey of emotion and stimulation for readers. His characters are compelling and interact to tell the human side of World War I. The entire tale is wrapped in the realities of warfare in 1918; the brutal, bloody encounters and wholesale slaughter at every turn. History unwrapped. From the challenges of the new aerial flight in combat to the mud and blood of the trenches to the civilian suffering as they avoid death at every turn, we follow individuals through scenes fraught with danger. We are taken into the world of espionage on both sides of the ocean, spies weaving their threads of deceit and seeking an advantage over their opponents. Steven Burgauer has woven into every page the real history of technology, organizations, and events that adds an entire delicious layer to this beautifully baked cake of history. High praise for Burgauer’s writing and storytelling skills.
Volume 36, Number 4
WINTER 2021
League of World War I Aviation Historians
Flights for Freedom
Steven Burgauer, the author of two World War II novels, dives head-on into World War I with Flights for Freedom. A work of historical fiction, it blends actual events with imagination, intrigue, spies, and fliers into an entertaining tale of air war and espionage. It would not be right to give away too much of the story. But events on both sides of the Atlantic are covered, including a particularly descriptive treatment of the great explosion at Halifax in 1917 and a brief — perhaps obligatory — account of the death of Manfred von Richthofen. It should be mentioned, however, that the author has Captain Brown shooting at the Red Baron with “wing-mounted guns,” suggesting he momentarily slipped back into his World War II mindset. In addition to Roy Brown, other familiar names encountered include Lieutenant Howard C. Knotts and members of the 17th Aero Squadron, USAS. There is also at least one very familiar line encountered when a British MI6 agent introduces himself: “My name is Newkirk. Mallory Newkirk.” Having just seen the latest 007 film, I was not sure whether to groan or write this off as an homage. Given the movie writers worked the line in as many times as they possibly could, let’s go with the latter. Glitches aside, Flights for Freedom is an entertaining read. It is recommended. ■ James Streckfuss.
=======================================================
FLIGHTS for FREEDOM
Reviewed by Jill Murphy of “The Book Bag”
September 2021
It’s the later stages of World War I and the United States has just entered the conflict. Petrol Petronus is a young American who has signed up and joined the 17th Aero Squadron. This company was the first US Aero Squadron to be trained in Canada, the first to be attached to the RAF and the first to be sent into the skies to fight the Germans in active combat. But before that can happen, Petrol has to master flying the notoriously difficult but majestic Sopwith Camel.
Petrol is shot down in France and it is here his adventures really begin. He must make it through the network of resistance safe houses not just to save himself but also the war effort. Because he is in possession of secret intelligence — plans for an advanced gunsight — that could change the outcome for the Allies.
Along the way, Petrol will see the true horrors of the Great War — the flower of youth dead and dying in their thousands in the beautiful, poppy-strewn French countryside, the orphans left alone in the world, the horrors of occupation. But he also sees the good: the priest who shelters the children and runs a carrier pigeon network for the resistance, the ordinary men and women risking their lives for his own. He will also meet the woman of his dreams.
Will Petrol make it across the electrified fence separating occupied France from Holland and make it back to England? Will his vital intelligence make it with him? And can he avoid being separated from the woman he loves?
I really enjoyed this story. It is energetic and entertaining with a good narrative flow and plenty of tension and excitement so that you’re always wanting to turn the page. There’s a good cast of vivid, three dimensional characters and I promise you’ll fall in love with more than one of them. And I defy you not to root for Petrol every step of the way. The dialogue is robust — if sometimes politically incorrect! — and sparkling, full of wit and repartee. But what stands out is the painstaking research involved. Flights for Freedom is full of intricate and accurate historical detail in every respect and there were many things I found out for the first time while reading. But it’s show, not tell, so it doesn’t bog down the narrative flow.
If you enjoy any adventure stories, but particularly those based in war or espionage, Flights for Freedom will be right up your alley. It really is a satisfying read. You even get some cool information about embroidery and needlework. Not often that you’d find that in a war story!
Recommended.
We have reviewed other books by Steven, which are just as good: Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou, The Road To War: Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture and The Night of The Eleventh Sun.
===============================================
Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating:
5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
Flights for Freedom is a work of fiction in the military and historical subgenres and was penned by author Steven Burgauer. Set during the air fights and occupations of the First World War, this work is best suited to the adult reading audience and contains non-graphic references to the perils and violence of war. Our central protagonist is “Petrol” Petronas of the 17th Aero Squadron, an American who braves the uncovered cockpits of some of the most unpredictable planes. When Petrol is shot down in a battle over France, he finds himself in the hands of a beautiful woman from the Dutch Resistance, and he begins to learn of the underground efforts on the other side of the Channel to end the horrors of war.
Author Steven Burgauer delivers a visceral and atmospheric account of life under fire as he tells the tale of a brave pilot and the people who rally to get him home alive. One of the features I especially enjoyed about the work was its focus on ordinary people living under the pressures of war and how their small actions are just as heroic as those of the fighters high in the sky and in the trenches. Petrol was an enigmatic central figure, well balanced between his skills and his fears. The dialogue, too, was very effective at delivering some of the major plot elements in a more natural way without the need for a wall of prose. Overall, I would highly recommend Flights for Freedom to fans of immersive, accurate historical fiction with relatable characters and exciting plot twists.
===============================================
Flights for Freedom - A World War 1 Fighter Pilot Novel
The BookViral Review (September 29, 2021):
With successive generations, it can be easy to lose track of the epic scope of World War I but in “Flights for Freedom” Burgauer has given us a World War 1 Fighter Pilot Novel that creates vivid images and emotions that are easy to grasp. And in doing so he helps us make sense of the horror to which his novel portends.
From a purely literary perspective, it’s an outstanding achievement. And one that becomes increasingly more relevant as his plot progresses. Attaining a properly incredulous sense of horror at the sheer scope of carnage and the fleeting nature of life on the frontline. And leaving us with a poignant reminder of the way war can dehumanize us.
Every character in “Flights for Freedom” earns their place with Burgauer exploring their innermost aspirations, patriotic convictions and back-stories whilst key characters like Newkirk, Petrol, Adriana and the pigeon priest, Father Montagne, are the human anchors that convey the emotional resonance of Burgauer’s narrative.
Detailed yet oblique, leisurely but compelling. Burgauer’s research lifts “Flights for Freedom” above the run of the mill war and military action fiction as he solemnly and intelligently examines the fears, frustrations, anxiety’s, animosity’s and boredom of waiting to engage the enemy and the level of authenticity he achieves makes it an easy story to embrace. His aviators are the stuff of heroes and yet we never forget they are flesh and blood. Some barely old enough to shave and yet falling from the sky in tailspins and fireballs as they make aviation history.
Impeccably written ‘Flights for Freedom’ is nothing short of superb and is unreservedly recommended.
https://bookviralreviews.com/book-rev...
===========================================
Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating:
5 Stars — Congratulations on your 5-star review!
Flights for Freedom by Steven Burgauer is one of those unusual historical novels in that it seamlessly blends true and real characters from life with fictional characters. Set toward the end of the First World War, its primary focus is on the war in the air by the British. American pilots come to grips with this newfangled skill of flight and how it can be utilized against the dreaded Boche. Petrol Petronas is an American pilot serving as part of a squadron attached to the Royal Air Force. He is a man with a past that he is desperate to distance himself from — his family is a major Italian crime family in the United States. Petrol wants nothing to do with them. He is committed to fighting for his country and winning this war in the air. When Petrol crashes behind enemy lines, he is rescued from his wreckage by a sympathetic farmer aligned to an underground railway that smuggles downed British pilots back to England. His journey back to “Blighty” will bring him into contact with a variety of individuals, including a beautiful young woman spy, a grizzled British Intelligence agent who is carrying out a dangerous mission behind enemy lines, a Catholic priest who raises and supplies carrier pigeons to the British Army, and an elderly woman whose embroidery skills may be what is needed to change the course of the war, especially in the air. All of these different characters will change Petrol’s war and his focus irrevocably and forever.
Flights for Freedom is a fascinating story that encompasses a wide variety of arcs and storylines that somehow author Steven Burgauer manages to weave into a story jam-packed full of synchronicities and chance encounters. I particularly appreciated the historical notes about the real characters in Petrol’s squadron and their ultimate dispositions, albeit many of them with sad endings. The story itself takes so many twists and turns with the wide variety of actors, plots, and storylines that there is zero chance of any reader becoming bored with the plot. I found most interesting the incredibly widespread, systematic, and quite successful espionage operations carried out by the Germans during the war, especially against nations that were “neutral,” such as the United States, for much of the conflict. What makes this book ultimately successful is the beautifully crafted story of Petrol Petronas and his relationship with the British Intelligence operative combined with the factual information of the battles, the equipment, and the dangers of early aerial warfare. In many ways, the lack of technology available to the combatants makes the ingenuity of the participants even more incredible. The author did a superb job in his characterizations of all the participants in this ensemble cast. The interplay between Petronas and the British Intelligence officer was a definite highlight of the narrative. With all its twists and turns, this is an excellent read and one I can highly recommend.
=========================================
Reviewed by Tom Gauthier for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Flights for Freedom is the story of an American pilot during the embryonic years of military aviation during World War I. “Petrol” Petronas is assigned to the 17th Aero Squadron and is challenged to learn to fly the British bi-wing fighter plane dubbed the Sopwith Camel. Surviving and succeeding in a number of deadly encounters with the Germans, Petronas is finally shot down over France, skillfully landing a badly mauled aircraft made of wire, wood, and canvas. Shuttled from safehouse to safehouse, he is kept hidden by a strong and defiant woman of the Dutch Resistance, crossing vague borders into Belgium on a circuitous route back to England. Along the way we are introduced to many of the horrors visited on the civilian population by the Germans, termed the Huns by the Allied forces. We meet children orphaned by the war and the brave souls who care for them. One of those is a Catholic priest who is also a spy, raising and flying carrier pigeons on the rooftop of his abbey, and sending them out carrying secret messages to and from the frontlines for Signal Corps. Petronas himself becomes an unwilling spy after he stumbles into the middle of espionage and is befriended by a British MI5 agent. When the agent is injured, Petronas is pressed into taking his place on a mission to carry the top-secret plans for an advanced gunsight out of Holland, hidden inside an embroidered cotton flour sack.
Not an easy or safe task as he must make his way across the border that separates Holland from Belgium that is guarded by a lethal electric fence. If the downed American flyer is to get safely across the heavily patrolled and electrified border into Holland and back to England, he must learn who to bribe.
In Flights for Freedom, Steven Burgauer delivers a journey of emotion and stimulation for readers. His characters are compelling and interact to tell the human side of World War I. The entire tale is wrapped in the realities of warfare in 1918; the brutal, bloody encounters and wholesale slaughter at every turn. History unwrapped. From the challenges of the new aerial flight in combat to the mud and blood of the trenches to the civilian suffering as they avoid death at every turn, we follow individuals through scenes fraught with danger. We are taken into the world of espionage on both sides of the ocean, spies weaving their threads of deceit and seeking an advantage over their opponents. Steven Burgauer has woven into every page the real history of technology, organizations, and events that adds an entire delicious layer to this beautifully baked cake of history. High praise for Burgauer’s writing and storytelling skills.
November 14, 2021
Petrol Petronas is a World War I fighter pilot who finds himself behind enemy lines when his Sopwith Camel is shot down in Belgium near the end of the war. His subsequent adventures are to have a significant impact on shorting the conflict if he can only get himself and vital papers back to Blighty.
This is a subtle blend of fictional characters with true events and people from the Great War that serves to entertain and inform in equal measure.
The characters are well drawn and the plot is believable and fast moving. The author tells multiple stories that seem disconnected but all eventually come together in a cracking finale.
The level of research that has gone into the historical details is immense and I found that I was always learning something interesting as the story unfolded. The details on the real people that Petrol comes into contact with, however fleetingly, are fascinating and the added information on places and background make this a highly entertaining read.
The Historical Notes at the end of the book seek to add a further dimension that once again tells some of the untold stories of the war.
An excellent read and well worth 5 stars
This is a subtle blend of fictional characters with true events and people from the Great War that serves to entertain and inform in equal measure.
The characters are well drawn and the plot is believable and fast moving. The author tells multiple stories that seem disconnected but all eventually come together in a cracking finale.
The level of research that has gone into the historical details is immense and I found that I was always learning something interesting as the story unfolded. The details on the real people that Petrol comes into contact with, however fleetingly, are fascinating and the added information on places and background make this a highly entertaining read.
The Historical Notes at the end of the book seek to add a further dimension that once again tells some of the untold stories of the war.
An excellent read and well worth 5 stars
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March 4, 2022MWSA Review
Flights for Freedom is a fictitious World War One account of Lieutenant Paul F. “Petrol” Petronas, an American who flies a Sopwith Camel with the British 17th Aero Squadron. Shot down over France after only a few successful combat flights, Petrol escapes to neutral Holland through Belgium with the assistance of a woman with the Dutch Resistance. During his escapades in an effort to return to England and rejoin his unit, he encounters, in addition to the beautiful young woman who helps him, a British spy, a Belgium woman who crochets patterns on flour sacks to smuggle secret messages, and a Catholic priest whose pet carrier pigeons are used to send battlefield messages for the British Signal Corps. Petrol’s destiny is determined through his interactions with those he encountered in his journey to freedom. Author Steven Burgauer has two previous books: Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou and The Road to War: Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture.
Review by Tom Beard (February 2022)
Flights for Freedom is a fictitious World War One account of Lieutenant Paul F. “Petrol” Petronas, an American who flies a Sopwith Camel with the British 17th Aero Squadron. Shot down over France after only a few successful combat flights, Petrol escapes to neutral Holland through Belgium with the assistance of a woman with the Dutch Resistance. During his escapades in an effort to return to England and rejoin his unit, he encounters, in addition to the beautiful young woman who helps him, a British spy, a Belgium woman who crochets patterns on flour sacks to smuggle secret messages, and a Catholic priest whose pet carrier pigeons are used to send battlefield messages for the British Signal Corps. Petrol’s destiny is determined through his interactions with those he encountered in his journey to freedom. Author Steven Burgauer has two previous books: Nazi Saboteurs on the Bayou and The Road to War: Duty & Drill, Courage & Capture.
Review by Tom Beard (February 2022)
December 29, 2021
Flights for Freedom is an exciting book about WWI flyers and the ancillary experiences along the way to fighting the war. I found it to be entertaining. The author provides notes at the end of the book to clarify historical data.
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