Additional information
by John Hansen (Author)
During World War II, steady daylight bombing by the Americans was crucial in defeating the German military; however, it came at a significant cost. In the European Theater alone, nearly 20,000 airmen were killed, 8,400 were wounded, and 35,000 were missing or captured. Thirty-two percent of all bomber crews were lost.Those who were captured were interned at prisoner of war camps spread across Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and East Prussia. Life in the camps was not easy, but what waited for most after the camp was far worse. With the Russians advancing from the east, the German government put hundreds of thousands of prisoners on the march during the winter of 1945. Sleeping in barns or open fields and living on meager rations, the men marched hundreds of miles back and forth across Germany. Sickness, fear, and starvation stripped them of all pride and dignity, and the experience would affect most for the rest of their lives. Robert Staton was shot down and captured on May 27, 1944. After spending nearly two months in a German hospital due to injuries, he was sent to Stalag Luft IV in northern Poland. He marched out of the camp on February 6, 1945 and remained on the road until May 2. Walking Home from Germany is his story.
Author Biography
John Hansen is the oldest grandson of Robert Staton. He started this project in 2002 with nothing more than an internet search for photos of his grandfather's bomber crew. Over the next several years his research ebbed and flowed; sometimes it was set aside for a year or two, and other times it was all-consuming. His studies include personal narratives from his grandfather, dozens of books, correspondence with researchers in Germany, and research at the National Archives. But his favorite thing has been talking to the veterans and their families, including members of Robert's crew. John holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tulsa and is an aerospace structures engineer. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and three daughters. This is John's second self-published work. His first work, co-authored with Z.R. Hathaway, is titled The Power of Zahn (ISBN: 978-1506027852).
