When 26 Army Air Forces flight nurses and medics board a military transport plane in November 1943, they never anticipate a crash landing in Nazi territory, or their ensuing months-long fight to survive. When the Americans emerge from their battered aircraft, they find themselves in Albania, a brutal and poverty-stricken country rife with chaos and danger, with only one gun among them. Met by battle-hardened partisans, they wander for months over rugged mountains during a severe weather in an effort of escape, facing a barrage of life-threatening incidents, including a German attack. With hunger and sickness as their constant companions, the party is haunted by the specter of capture by the Nazis. As the stranded group hopes for a daring rescue, they must put their faith in the hands of officers working for clandestine British and American organizations. The drama of the party captured the attention of the American public at the time, but the details of their journey remained hidden for decades.
From the community