Gay - Savage will: the daring escape of Americans trapped behind Nazi lines

Assignment to Hell:
The War Against Germany with Correspondents Walter Cronkite,
Andy Rooney, A. J. Liebling, Homer Bigart, and Hal Boyle

SAVAGE
WILL

THE DARING ESCAPE OF
AMERICANS TRAPPED
BEHIND NAZI LINES

Timothy M. Gay

NAL Caliber

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA), 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014, USA

USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com.

First published by NAL Caliber, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA)

Copyright Timothy M. Gay, 2013

Maps copyright Jeffrey L. Ward, 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed
in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or
encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase
only authorized editions.

NAL CALIBER and the C logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA)

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Gay, Timothy M.

Savage will: the daring escape of Americans trapped behind Nazi lines/Timothy M. Gay.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-101-61753-3

1. World War, 19391945CampaignsAlbania. 2. World War,
19391945CampaignsMediterranean Region.
3. Medical personnelUnited StatesHistory20th century. 4. NursesUnited StatesHistory20th century. 5. Combat survivalHistory20th
century. 6. EscapesAlbaniaHistory20th century.
7. RescuesAlbaniaHistory20th century.
8. World War, 19391945Secret service. I. Title.

D766.7.A4G39 2013

940.54'21965dc23 2013015549

PUBLISHERS NOTE

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

To the memory of my father-in-law, Judge Ellis A. Oualline, and to his late brothers, Judd and Royce, all of whom served with great distinction in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.

I will summon every resource to prevent the triumph of death over life.... I will be untiring in the performance of my duties.... This I will do. I will not falter, in war or in peace.

The sworn oath of USAAF flight evacuation nurses in World War II

Vdekje Fashizmit! Liri Popullit! (Death to Fascism! Freedom to the People!)

The sworn oath of Albanias Communist Partisans in World War II, accompanied by a clenched fist and a pound of the chest

Our bodies were dying, numb with the swift ebb of our strength; we had only a savage will somewhere inside that kept us going.

Sergeant Lawrence Orville Abbott, describing how the trapped
Americans eluded the Germans near Gjirokastr, Albania,
on December 29, 1943