Sitting It Out: A World War II POW Memoir

In 1941 Westheimer was in a B-24 that ditched off the coast of Italy. It was the first American plane to be lost over Italy in the early days of WW2. Behind enemy lines, the author and 6 other survivors were taken to a camp at Poggio Mirteto before being assigned to another Italian POW camp. After 9 months in captivity, the prisoners had a brief brush with freedom. Retaken by advancing Germans before they could escape, they were transported through the Alps, to Stalag Luft III. Westheimer spent 19 more months in German hands before he was finally liberated by American troops on April 29, 1945. Westheimer wrote this book shortly after his release. Photos.