Across the Adratic: A B-24 Navigator's World War II Story by Guy Alexander Luttrell (Paperback)

A native of Alexandria, Ohio, Staff Sgt. Robert "Bob" Hickman was on board a B-24 bomber named Flak Shak when all hell broke loose on June 28, 1944.

During a bombing run over Bucharest, Romania, his plane was severely damaged by German Messerschmitt fighter planes. In the tail turret, the 18-year-old Hickman could not see the enemy planes attacking from above and in front, but he could feel the impact of their attack. As the radio system was down, he could not find out the plane's condition or how many crew members were injured. However, he could see that his plane had dropped out of formation and was losing altitude.