B17 Pilot Richard Munsen and World War II Flying Fortress author Katherine Munsen

Lifelong residents of Story City, Iowa, Dick and Kay were classmates in the Story City Public Schools and were both attending Iowa State College when the U.S. became engaged in World War II.

After two years of engineering, Dick was accepted in the Army Aviation Cadet Program, advanced quickly through flight school, and was commissioned as a B-17 pilot.

Based in Italy, he was flying his 23rd mission when his plane was shot down by German fighters.

Richard and Katherine Munsen authors of Bail Out over the Balkans

Bail Out over the Balkans details Dick's experience with his Boeing B17 Flying Fortress crew as evadees for 45 days in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia, guided and protected by Tito's Partisans.

Based on taped interviews with the surviving crew members, written accounts by Bob Brown and Bailey Gordon from 1944, and World War II historical records, Kay was able to accurately document each day of their trek through the rugged mountains of Yugoslavia.

The story of Kay's extensive historical research that led to the precise reconstruction of the men's 45 day journey is almost as amazing as the story itself and is outlined at the beginning of the book.

Dick and Kay are both 92 years young and still reside
in their hometown of Story City, Iowa.

World War II Authors

Richard & Katherine Munsen