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Luck of the Draw

My Story of the Air War in Europe

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Luck of the Draw

By: Frank Murphy, Chloe Melas - foreword, Elizabeth Murphy - foreword
Narrated by: Jonas Moore
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About this listen

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The epic true story of an American hero who flew during WWII

Beginning on August 17, 1942, American heavy bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force took off for combat in the hostile skies over occupied Europe. The final price was staggering. 4,300 B-17s and B-24s failed to return; nearly 28,000 men were taken prisoner or interned in a neutral country, and a further 26,000 made the ultimate sacrifice.

Luck of the Draw is more than a war story. It’s the incredible, inspiring story of Frank Murphy, one of the few survivors from the 100th Bombardment Group, who cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of his B-17 Flying Fortress.

Now with a new foreword written by his granddaughter Chloe Melas, of CNN, and daughter Elizabeth Murphy.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Frank Murphy, Chloe Melas, Elizabeth Murphy. All rights reserved. (P)2023 Macmillan Audio. All rights reserved. Engineering Military Military & War World War II War Air Force US Air Force Aviation Imperialism

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Critic reviews

“In the pursuit of authenticity, of accurate history and undeniable courage, no words matter more than, ‘I was there'... Ponder this: how did those boys do such things?” Tom Hanks
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What an amazing story. One man’s daily fight and death, the terrifying moment of leaving a crippled aircraft and the horror of not knowing what your fate was to be once on the ground.

What a superb book. A first hand updated account of one man’s war within the 100th BG.

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I learnt so much about Frank Murphy’s time in the USAAF. So much detail. I really enjoyed it

Learnt so much

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Some of the narration seemed to drop out on occasions. Initially I thought it may have been due to the narrator censoring swearing, but I think it may have been a glitch in the recording/downloading.

Thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

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This story of the life of the personalities of crew 31 and the remarkable life of its author is an absolute must for anyone to read who is interested in WWII history and especially the air war in Northern Europe.
I can not recommend this book enough.

Excellent true life story

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A very well read and immersive account of ‘The Bloody Hundredth’.
I found this an easier listen than Masters of the Air. It follows a single crew, rather than the overall campaign. A great listen and thoroughly recommended.

The best account yet.

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The narrator was brilliant and made for comfortable listening during some pretty horrific sections. All who served in the Mighty 8th have my gratitude and respect.

Great story matched by a great narrator

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The narrator, Jonas Moore, did a great job. He tempered the story sympathetically. A comfortable and informative listen

Humanity and survival

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