Themes of survival, fear, loss, faith, and comradery are woven into this historical fiction narrative set during WWII as the Third Reich stood on the verge of military defeat.
Anderson's story begins in January 1944 and follows the fictional character Gus Bodine, a 20-year-old who joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as a B-17 pilot, and Addie, his wife, back home. Bodine quickly finds himself going from living the American dream to being shot down and becoming a prisoner of war forced to endure the 86-day "Death March" across Germany during the harshest winter ever recorded in the country.
SS guards tortured more than 10,000 American and allied prisoners along with concentration camp prisoners from 1944 to 1945 during a forced trek through 900 miles of mountainous forests and war-torn lowlands in Germany. POWs faced scurvy, typhus, dysentery, hypothermia, starvation, and often death during the long, unforgiving trek.
"My book traces the horrendous march that took so many lives and left many families back home dreading a knock on the door," said Anderson, an 8-year Air Force Vietnam War veteran. "Not to worry, though, the story is full of laughter, tender moments, happy outcomes, and the antics of Highway, the dog.
"Spencer's story sheds so much light on this terrible, but compelling chapter of the war in Europe," said Chris Schafer, CEO at Tactical 16 Publishing. "His passion for keeping alive the legacy of the patriots who heroically defended our nation in its most trying time is clearly evident in his writing."
