Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
From the New York Times bestselling author of Sons and Soldiers comes the incredible but true story of Dieter Dengler, the only pilot to escape captivity from a POW camp in the Laotian jungle during the Vietnam War.
In February 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over "neutral" Laos in jungle territory controlled by Pathet Lao guerrillas and North Vietnamese regulars, who captured and held him in a fortified prisoner-of-war camp. Already a legend in the navy for his unique escape skills, the German-born Dengler proved to be no ordinary prisoner. Caught in a desperate situation, imprisoned by the enemy and by the jungle itself, Dengler set out to free not only himself but also other POWs—American, Thai, and Chinese—some of whom had been held for years.
This amazing story of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds has been filmed by Werner Herzog as both a documentary (Little Dieter Needs to Fly) and a motion picture (Rescue Dawn, starring Christian Bale). Now Bruce Henderson, who served with Dengler aboard USS Ranger, tells the complete story of Dengler's captivity and remarkable escape—based on in-depth personal interviews as well as military archival materials, some never before made public—in this riveting account of unending optimism, courage, loyalty, and survival against overwhelming odds.
Bruce Henderson
<p></p><p>Bruce Henderson has written more than twenty books, including the national bestseller <em>Hero Found</em> and <em>Rescue at Los Baños</em>. Henderson served aboard the aircraft carrier USS <em>Ranger</em> (CVA-61) during the Vietnam War. He lives in Menlo Park, California.</p>
Read more from Bruce Henderson
Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fatal North: Murder and Survival on the First North Pole Expedition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trace Evidence: The Hunt for the I-5 Serial Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey Into the Unknown Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghetto Cops: On the Streets of the Most Dangerous City in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Hero Found
Related ebooks
Wings of Fury: From Vietnam to the Gulf War the Astonishing True Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Cat 2-1: The True Story of a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and His Crew Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tales of Phan Rang Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5100 Missions North: A Fighter Pilot's Story of the Vietnam War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From F-4 Phantom to A-10 Warthog: Memoirs of a Cold War Fighter Pilot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shamrock 22: “An Aviator's Story” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFast Movers: Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Call-Sign KLUSO: An American Fighter Pilot in Mr. Reagan’s Air Force Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions (Revised Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild Weasel Fighter Attack: The Story of the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Voodoo Warriors: The Story of the McDonnell Voodoo Fast-Jets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sherman Lead: Flying the F-4D Phantom II in Vietnam Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Pathfinder Pioneer: The Memoir of a Lead Bomber Pilot in World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCheck Six!: A Thunderbolt Pilot's War Across the Pacific Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trash Haulers: The Story of the C-130 Hercules Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlift Mission Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLucky 666: The Impossible Mission Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Palace Cobra: A Fighter Pilot in the Vietnam Air War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Along for the Ride: Navigating Through the Cold War, Vietnam, Laos & More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOperation Vengeance: The Astonishing Aerial Ambush That Changed World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hogs in the Sand: A Gulf War A-10 Pilot's Combat Journal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Near Misses: A Naval Aviator's Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dustoff 7-3: Saving Lives Under Fire in Afghanistan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5America's Secret Submarine: An Insider's Account of the Cold War's Undercover Nuclear Sub Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Magnum! The Wild Weasels in Desert Storm: The Elimination of Iraq's Air Defence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flying High: The Story of a Fighter Pilot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brotherhood of the Skies: Wartime Experiences of a Gunnery Officer and Typhoon Pilot Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Wars & Military For You
Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The God Delusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Doctors From Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Daily Creativity Journal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mein Kampf: The Original, Accurate, and Complete English Translation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnit 731: Testimony Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art of War: The Definitive Interpretation of Sun Tzu's Classic Book of Strategy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unacknowledged: An Expose of the World's Greatest Secret Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wager Disaster: Mayem, Mutiny and Murder in the South Seas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"The Good War": An Oral History of World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When I Come Home Again: 'A page-turning literary gem' THE TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF 2020 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Hero Found
20 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dieter's story of survival in the jungles of Laos was a gripping tale to say the least. As a former Army Vietnam veteran myself, I was intrigued by all the goings-on of an aircraft carrier and have to admit that while reading Bruce Henderson's story of Dieter Dengler, I found the book to be an enjoyable learning experience for me. I was especially taken back when there was mention about a fellow pilot of Dieter's, Donald Woloczak, from Alpena, Michigan and how he became MIA during the war. You see, I have been wearing a bronze POW bracelet of Donald Woloczak for the last thirty years, and the information shared by the author was new and seemed to fill in the gaps.I, too, was born in Germany, but six years after the end of WWII. However, I've seen the destruction of war and have heard similar war survival stories from my family in the old country - the experience matures you quickly.As for the living conditions and treatment of Dieter and others during their captivity is beyond anything human. But one must do whatever is necessary in order to survive. The chase left me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. The scene of Dieter and his fellow POW running into the villager took my breath away. It was great that his escape from Laos was successful, but it appears that he could not escape from the tormenting in his head. Great job Bruce, and thank you for the education! Five Stars for Hero Found.John Podlaski, authorCherries - A Vietnam War Novel
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is an extraordinary story, with tons of vignettes that many servicemen can relate to. The writing is tight, and direct making the story very interesting and easy to follow.The author, Bruce Henderson, has done a remarkable job providing us insight into this hero's life. And I'm very grateful to learn about this man's life, and his background leading up to the main part of the book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dude... where's my review?!? It's gone! Stupid software . I'll try to recreate a little bit of it:I do recommend this book. It's been sorta verified. I suspect there's been quite a bit of exaggeration in the book but even if only half true it was an amazing story or true. I can't imagine ever being a Vietnam POW - oh man, you gotta read it if you're at all interested in the Vietnam war.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5At first, the exposition seems overwhelmingly lengthy (Who expects a Vietnam War story to begin in Germany during World War II?), but the more I read the more I understood how important it is to the story and to understanding Dieter's character and motivations. Well told, and well read. A gripping piece of non-fiction.