Finding a Fallen Hero: The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner

By Bob Korkuc and Korkuc

Book Overview

To all appearances, Anthony "Tony" Korkuc was just another casualty of World War II. A gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress, Korkuc was lost on a bombing mission over Germany, and his family believed that his body had never been recovered. But when they learned in 1995 that Tony was actually buried at Arlington National Cemetery, his nephew Bob Korkuc set out on a seven-year quest to learn the true fate of an uncle he never knew.

Finding a Fallen Hero is a compelling story that blends a wartime drama with a primer on specialized research. Author Bob Korkuc initially set out to learn how his Uncle Tony came to rest at Arlington. In the process, he also unraveled the mystery of what occurred over the skies of Germany half a century ago.

Korkuc dug up military documents and private letters and interviewed people in both the United States and Germany. He tracked down surviving crewmembers and even found the brother of the Luftwaffe pilot who downed the B-17. Dozens of photographs help readers envision both Tony Korkuc's fateful flight and his nephew's dogged search for the truth.

A gripping chronicle of exhaustive research, Finding a Fallen Hero will strike a chord with any reader who has lost a family member to war. And it will inspire others to satisfy their own unanswered questions.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806138920
• ISBN13: 9780806138923
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

"Captivating"..."Hard to put down"..."thoroughly enjoyable"

'Captivating'...'hard to put down'...'thoroughly enjoyable' - all apt descriptors of Bob Korkuc's "Finding a Fallen Hero: The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner". Clocking in a 242 pp. (inclusive of Notes), "Finding a Fallen Hero" is a real page-turner, one easily gotten through even by a slow reader like this reviewer in one sitting. Not only is the story told engagingly (we'll come back to this shortly), but Korkuc is also a talented writer who conveys his prose with an economy of words. Too many historical authors - even some of the better ones - get distracted with side stories and irrelevant facts, not so with Korkuc. It's refreshing to read a book centered on happenings of the Second World War that stays on track and is contained but still grows the reader in having read it. The basic story told in "Finding a Fallen Hero" is that of Staff Sgt. Anthony (Tony) Joseph Korkuc's (the author's uncle) final flight as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress (42-37786; unnamed) in the 532nd Bomb Squadron/381st Bomb Group. Tony Korkuc was KIA near Willmandingen, Germany on 25 Feb 1944 while returning from a bombing run to Augsburg, Germany. Although initially buried in Willmandingen, his remains were later relocated to the U.S. Military Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France, and finally interned in a group plot with three other men in Arlington National Cemetery (Virginia). While the story itself is relative straightforward, the path taken by Bob Korkuc to bring his uncle's story to life was far from effortless and took several years of diligent research and some personal discomfort to accomplish. The author's trek to discover the why's and how's surrounding his uncles death and multiple internments began simple enough on a trip to Arlington National Cemetery with his father in 1995 when the latter asked: "I wonder how Tony's remains got from Germany to Arlington?" With this simple question Bob Korkuc embarked on an adventure of investigation and discovery that was to finally bring peace and closure to a long mystery, both for the Korkuc family and possibly the families of the other five men of Staff Sgt. Korkuc's flight who perished that winter day over enemy territory. Thankfully for the reader Bob Korkuc has documented this journey for us to enjoy. "Finding a Fallen Hero" is much more than a piece of Second World War non-fiction: it's a detective story that reads like an Arthur Conan Doyle novel; a tale of strong brothers-in-arms camaraderie; a story of self- and familial discovery; and a touching account of rememberance and healing of a handful of men who gave much of their youth in defense of their country. Few books this reviewer has read in the WWII genre ever come close to touching so many facets of life then and now. "Finding a Fallen Hero" should appeal to a broad swath of readers, not just those interested in history. Moreover, Korkuc shares with the reader how he went through his process of discovery and exposition in such a w

Praise from Historians across America

"A riveting story of what must have been one of the most dangerous and vulnerable jobs in all of war." --Ken Burns, PBS Documentary Filmmaker of "The War" "Robert Korkuc has written a book that succeeds magnificently on two levels: as a relentless search for a loved one in World War II and as an intimate portrait of a bomber crew. The book grabs the reader from page one and never lets go."--Donald L. Miller, author of Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War against Nazi Germany "A moving, well-researched personal journey into the world that the author's uncle, a B-17 ball turret gunner, experienced in World War II. Anyone who wishes to understand the deep psychic effect that a soldier's death can have on so many people, during and after the war, should read this excellent book." --John C. McManus, author of Deadly Sky: The American Combat Airman in World War II "Korkuc illuminates the wide, interlocking circles of grief that every act of combat creates and the enduring wounds carried by those who fight our wars and those who love the fighters." --Gregory J. W. Urwin, author of Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island "Mr. Korkuc takes us on a seven-year quest to learn the fate of his uncle, one of the thousands of American airmen lost in the air war over Europe in World War II. Moving from one clue to another, Korkuc ultimately gains final resolution on how his uncle perished and achieves closure on a family tragedy." --W. Raymond Wood, author of Or Go Down in Flame: The Death of a Navigator over Schweinfurt

The Ultimate Cold Case Pursuit!

From the opening pages of Finding a Fallen Hero, the reader is pulled into the ultimate cold case pursuit! As Mr. Korkuc's father stands at the common grave site at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring his brother, he poses a simple question which ignites his son's passionate quest. Korkuc, the author, decides then and there to follow the trail of actual events leading to the demise of his beloved uncle, and the Air Crew, who were shot down during WW II. The reader feels elation each time a new clue is uncovered, and often despair, when a promising lead turns out to be dead end. The author doggedly pursues official records, eyewitness accounts, and pictures, strewn across the decades, as he painstakingly stitches together these bits and pieces to accurately record his uncle's last mission. Over sixty years later, a grateful nation can now honor this heroic Air Crew for their service and sacrifice. This book was a joy to read! Powerful and moving. I was hooked from the first page.

A exciting book describing bombing raids over Germany

This book is an exciting account of the authors tenacious seven year quest to find out everything that happened to his uncles B17 that was shot down over Germany. Reading this book is a must for anyone interested in WWII. Mr. Korkuc spent seven years searching the internet and getting information from the Defence Dept. He has logged all of the addersses he found helpful. He traveled two countries collecting the information. This is not only truly an exciting book but very informative for anyone else seeking information about the fate of someone during WWII. In the end he surmises everything that may have happened during that last fateful bombing run. Informative and exciting from start to finish.

Great on Many Levels

In one amazing discovery after another, the author paints an increasingly clear picture of the final mission that took his uncle's life. Relying on the kindness of strangers, at times luck, brute force research, and a consistent determination, he reaches through the years to recreate the event in remarkable detail. This book is an addictive read as the story unfolds, and kept me up late into the night to see how it would end. Thoroughly researched without the typical dryness, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.