Paul van Kavelaar

From Artillery to Air Corps: The World War 2 Memoir of a Green Mountain Cannoneer Turned B-24 Radioman Paul van Kavelaar

The experiences of a young enlisted man in the Army 1936-45. The first half of the book covers the time period from 1936 through early 1944. As he describes his training, assignments and perceptions of various incidents, the reader sees how he was integrated into the military culture. The second half details his experiences as a prisoner of war after his B-24 Liberator was shot down over Germany. He was the plane's radio operator. He was a POW in four different camps from March 1944 through January 1945: Stalag Luft 8, Stalag Luft 4, Stalag Luft 17 and the POW camp at Moosberg. The book vividly depicts life at each of these sites and the transport from one to another. The book ends with the liberation by Patton's forces and the trip back to the United States. In addition to documents and news clippings there are some black and white pictures taken with a smuggled miniature camera of camp life and the camp's liberation. 55 photos, 5 news clippings, 3 documents.