Back in April 2009, I did a blog post about descendants of "Kriegies" who retraced the steps their fathers and grandfathers took during a forced march of war prisoners in Poland and eastern Germany in 1945. (See "Descendants of 'Kriegies' Retrace Steps, April 23, 2009.) Those who reenacted a portion of that march in January 2009 encountered a man named Hans Burkhardt whose father had been a German POW in Arkansas during WWII. He remembered the original march and said his family offered food and water to the cold and hungry American POWs at that time. He presented a watch and a placque that had belonged to another German POW in Arkansas, and later these "Kriegie Kids" made a special trip to present these items to the Aliceville Museum.
Another Kriegie Kid (descendant of an American POW who made that forced march in Germany in 1945) has written an excellent memoir about his father's experiences in Holland, then in Stalag Luft III, and then as part of that forced march. I have printed here my review of this fascinating and well-written book, which is available on www.amazon.com. It can also be ordered from Appell Publishing in Fall City Washington (www.appellpublishing.com).
TWO GOLD COINS AND A PRAYER: The Epic Journey of a World War II Bomber Pilot and POW. By James H. Keeffee III, as told to him by his father, Lt. Col. James H. Keeffee, Jr., USAF (Ret.) Appell Publishing. Fall City, Washington. 2010
There are many good memoirs of World War II, even many specifically about bomber pilots and prisoners of war, but Two Gold Coins and a Prayer is unique for a numbere of reasons. It is, at the outset, the very personal story of a well-trained Army Air Forces pilot shot down over Holland in March 1944. For five months, Lr. Jim Keeffe relies on the kindness of strangers inn occupied Holland who rish their security and their lives to keep him safe. The detailed account of that trust and friendship is a story in itself, including the two precious gold coins referred to in the title. A wealthy Dutchman offers them to Keeffe in exchange for the English pounds that would betray him instantly if the Germans discovered them in his possession.
As the Dutch move him from safe house to safe house, Keeffe is grateful for their protection but also determined to make his way back to his unit in England. In July 1944, his story takes another unfortunate twist. Soon after the Dutch underground manages to sneak him into Belgium, he is betrayed and captured in Antwerp. There, a German interrogator he nicknames big Guy spells out in chilling words what Keeffe has feared most:
So you see, lieutenant, we know all about you and where you've been since you came down. We know the people you've stayed with and we know what they do. But we're not going to do anything at this time because we want them to keep sending us evading fliers like you.
Keeffe then spends many months in Stalag Luft III, a POW camp in Germany, and suffers a forced march to another prisoner camp before finally experienciing liberation in late April 1945.
The narrative style of this book holds the reader's interest from beginning to end. The details bring the story to brimming life–everything from what this airman carried and thought and felt to how he coped on the run and in a POW camp. Throughout the experience, Keeffe somehow managed to hang on to those two gold coins–through multiple interrogations, strip searches, and prison camp clothing exchanges. He has them still, along with his memories of those who went to great lengths to keep him safe.
The reader is struck time and again by the human element of people making impossible wartime decisions. This book offers a clear and detailed map of Lt. Keeffe's wartime journeys, along with numerous photographs, diagrams, and documents that further enhance the excellent storytelling. It is a book the reader will not soon forget.
