The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines

The “exciting” true story of a downed cargo plane and a group of stranded U.S. Army medical personnel fighting to survive in Nazi-occupied Albania (The Bowling Green Daily News).

A Wall Street Journal Bestseller

An Edgar Award Finalist and Anthony Award Finalist for Best Critical or Non-Fiction Work

When twenty-six Army nurses and medics—part of the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron—boarded a cargo plane for transport in November 1943, they never anticipated the crash landing in Nazi-occupied Albania that would lead to a months-long struggle for survival. In a drama that captured the attention of the American public, the group and its flight crew dodged bullets and battled blinding winter storms as they climbed mountains and fought to stay alive, aided by courageous villagers who risked death at Nazi hands to help them.

A mesmerizing tale of the heroism of ordinary people, The Secret Rescue tells a story of endurance kept secret for decades, and of the daring rescue attempts by clandestine American and British organizations amid the tumultuous landscape of the war.

“Combines all of the elements that draw us to WWII stories: the daring of The Guns of Navarone, the suspense of The Great Escape, and the bravery reminiscent of Ill Met by Moonlight. It's the inclusion of so many women, though, that makes this story unique.” —The Daily Beast

“An amazing WWII survival-and-rescue story.” —Booklist