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A trumpeter in Jimmy Dorsey's band, Kinnan was a bomber pilot in World War II. He was shot down and captured, and housed in the German Luft Stalag 3 POW camp. The Red Cross provided some musical instruments for the prisoners, so Kinnan started a band. The book (and 1963 movie) The Great Escape tells the story of a massive escape from Stalag 3; the band's music helped provide cover and diversion while the tunnel was dug. "In real life, my dad organized and led that band," says Kinnan's son, Walter. Kinnan was part of a special intelligence group; when 50 of the escaped men were recaptured and shot by the Germans, Kinnan was able to get word back to U.S. forces in specially coded letters to his wife. "She didn't know," said another son, Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Kinnan, "and she thought sometimes the language in these letters sounded a little stilted, a little odd. But it was a very complex code." After the war, Kinnen remained in the service and turned to meteorology. As a civilian in 1953, he became one of the first TV weather forecasters, working in Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Tampa, Fla. He died November 22 from an aortic aneurysm. He was 83. From This is True for 24 November 2002 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: James Alexander Thom List Price: $7.99 Amazon Price: $7.99 Editorial Review: Mary Ingles was twenty-three, married, and pregnant, when Shawnee Indians invaded her peaceful Virginia settlement, killed the men and women, then took her captive. For months, she lived with them, unbroken, until she escaped, and followed a thousand mile trail to freedom--an extraordinary story of a pioneer woman who risked her life to return to her people.  By: Kati Marton List Price: $15.00 Amazon Price: $10.20 Editorial Review: Extravagantly praised by critics and readers, this stunning story by bestselling author Kati Marton tells of the breathtaking journey of nine extraordinary men from Budapest to the New World, what they experienced along their dangerous route, and how they changed America and the world. They are the scientists Leo Szilard, Edward Teller, Eugene Wigner, and John von Neuman; Arthur Koestler, author of Darkness at Noon; Robert Capa, the first photographer ashore on D-Day; Andre Kertesz, pioneer of modern photojournalism; and iconic filmmakers Alexander Korda and Michael Curtiz.  By: Doris Pilkington List Price: $11.00 Amazon Price: $8.80 Editorial Review: Following an Australian government edict in 1931, black aboriginal children and children of mixed marriages were gathered up and taken to settlements to be institutionally assimilated. In Rabbit-Proof Fence, award-wining author Doris Pilkington traces the story of her mother, Molly, one of three young girls uprooted from their community in Southwestern Australia and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement. There, Molly and her relatives Gracie and Daisy were forbidden to speak their native language, forced to abandon their heritage, and taught to be culturally white. After regular stays in solitary confinement, the three girls planned and executed a daring escape from the grim camp.  By: Stephen BrewerDonald Olson List Price: $16.99 Amazon Price: $16.99 Editorial Review: You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us! This invaluable guide contains all the information you need to get to and around some of the most popular destinations in England. Using London as a base, you can explore the college towns of Oxford and Cambridge; go on rambling walks or bike rides through the English countryside; or experience the mystery of Stonehenge, each in only a day! We give you all the information you need to plan your day trip, from train schedules to parking information and the best places to pick up picnic supplies or enjoy a more leisurely meal. Detailed maps and suggested itineraries for each destination guarantee that you'll see as much as possible without feeling rushed. And if there's so much to do that we think you might want to extend your trip, we give you the scoop on the best places to stay, from budget B&Bs to luxury hotels. Also included are savvy insider tips, historical information, and special "finds" that most tourists and tour groups miss.You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us! This invaluable guide contains all the information you need to get to and around some of the most popular destinations in England. Using London as a base, you can explore the college towns of Oxford and Cambridge; go on rambling walks or bike rides through the English countryside; or experience the mystery of Stonehenge, each in only a day! We give you all the information you need to plan your day trip, from train schedules to parking information and the best places to pick up picnic supplies or enjoy a more leisurely meal. Detailed maps and suggested itineraries for each destination guarantee that you'll see as much as possible without feeling rushed. And if there's so much to do that we think you might want to extend your trip, we give you the scoop on the best places to stay, from budget B&Bs to luxury hotels. Also included are savvy insider tips, historical information, and special "finds" that most tourists and tour groups miss.  By: Paul Brickhill List Price: $13.95 Amazon Price: $11.16 Editorial Review: "A tense, thrilling, fabulous tale."—Philadelphia Inquirer They were American and British air force officers in a German prison camp. With only their bare hands and the crudest of homemade tools, they sank shafts, forged passports, faked weapons, and tailored German uniforms and civilian clothes. They developed a fantastic security system to protect themselves from German surveillance. It was a split-second operation as delicate and as deadly as a time bomb. It demanded the concentrated devotion and vigilance of more than six hundred men—every one of them, every minute, every hour, every day and night for more than a year. Made into the classic movie starring Steve McQueen. 16 pages of photographs.Riveting, brilliantly paced, this is the true story of a mass breakout from a German POW camp by a group of American internees; a documentary of intricate planning, escape and survival. |
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