Hell's Belle, from a B-17 to Stalag 17B: Based on the Memoirs of William E. Rasmussen

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Summary: Hell's Belle: A Great Read!
Review: Hell's Belle is a captivating and extraordinary account of William Rasmussen's experience as an American flyer and POW in Nazi Germany during WWII. Dr. Randall Rasmussen has translated his father's memoirs in a way that effectively conveys to the reader the tremendous courage and spirit of these young men who endured severe hardships while serving our country. What a fine and honorable dedication to William Rasmussen. I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: Hell's Belle Review
Review: Hell's Belle is an informative, well written and intriguing book recounting the experiences of Sergeant William E. Rasmussen, a World War II, B-17 turret gunner whose aircraft, Hell's Belle, was shot down over Germany during a bombing mission in 1943. Rasmussen and other members of the aircraft crew were subsequently captured by the Germans and became POW's for 16 months in the infamous German prison camp, Stalag 17B. Much of the book vividly describes many of the everyday experiences and tribulations of the POW's in the camp. Of special interest is the description of the POW's 22-day forced march, under German guard command as the camps were evacuated in anticipation of Allied occupation of Germany during the last days of the war. The book was written by Dr. Randall Rasmussen, son of William Rasmussen and is based on memoirs and personal accounts of the father handed down to the family. This personal, first hand account of events is of prime significance and contributes to the value and importance of the book for its historical significance and its overall interest and readability. The book is supplemented with photographs, many which were smuggled out of the POW camp. I highly recommend this book to both the general reader and to World War II buffs who particularly enjoy first hand accounts of World War II, Allied bombing missions and life in Nazi Germany POW camps.

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Summary: Hell's Belle: An amazing journey of courage and endurance
Review: I remember the movie "Stalag 17" from when I was a kid. At that time, it was just a movie and I could not relate the story to some real event. Now, as an adult, I have come to appreciate the sacrifices of young men fighting for our freedom. I have been moved when visiting the Normandie beachhead and being able to talk with veterans who share snippets of their stories.

This book I believe really ties everything together. It is an engrossing tale of one man's experience both in battle and as a prisoner in a camp made famous by Hollywood. What is so remarkable is being able to follow William Rasmussen from the beginning. Excellent background is provided about the planes, the training and the war plans as well as the missions. The description of being shot out of the sky, trying to survive and escape on the ground before capture give a real sense of what it must have been like in battle and how amazing it is that such young men had the courage to perform with such bravery and keep their heads and pride under such stress.

The author paints a vivid picture of life within the POW camp. It is hard to imagine enduring the conditions of weather, poor food, harassment and unsanitary conditions for the years they were captive and still stay sane, keep a sense of humor and pride and still have creativity and energy in planning escape attempts or harassing their captors right back.

This is one book worth reading if you want to get a well described vicarious experience of the horrors of WWII. I will always wonder if I could have done the same at that age. It is nice to be able to read about a war experience and have a sense of pride.

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Summary: Hell's Belle: From a B-17 to Stalg 17B
Review: The last time I saw the movie Stalag 17 was in a theatre when I was a kid. It made a big impression, and I can still remember details many years later. Hell's Belle is the story of the GI who was the chairman of that prison's escape committee.
Hell's Belle is a very personal, inside account of everyday events in the lives of the men who put it all on the line to win World War ll. In it we see how one ordinary young man, and the other ordinary young men with whom he served lived the lives of heroes. With matter of fact humor the book shows us the dangers and hardships that filled their days, as well as their loyalty to each other and the love of home that kept them going when the going got tough...really tough.
The book is so well organized and so well written that, in spite of the horror of the war, it is fun to read and hard to put down. At the end I felt that I had a much better understanding of how things really were then. I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: Surviving on guts, teamwork and willpower
Review: This book is very well written. While following the experiences of Bill Rasmussen, the reader comes to appreciate the courage it took to be a crew member on a B17 flying missions out of England during the war. It was a time when the equipment wasn't so high-tech and the planes flew on guts, teamwork and willpower. Surviving Stalag 17B required the same strengths. You wonder if you could be as strong in these situations. This story will make a good movie.