BEYOND THE CALL : THE TRUE STORY OF ONE WORLD WAR II PILOT'S COVERT MISSION TO RESCUE POWS ON THE EASTERN FRONT
by Lee Trimble and Jeremy Dronfield

As World War II was coming to an end in 1944, thousands of Allied ex-POWs were liberated from prison camps set up by the Third Reich. They were let loose only to be abandoned with no food. The Soviets viewed them as cowards and traitors and thought they were all spies. Stalin refused to allow the United States to bring in planes, supplies, and teams to retrieve the POWs and evacuate them.
So a plan was conceived for an undercover rescue mission provided by The Office of Strategic Services (OSS). They chose an out-of-the-ways airfield in Ukraine called Poltava and used an American air force detachment that was stationed there. Of course, all of this was top secret. The man that was chosen to undertake this mission was Captain Robert Trimble, who was a bomber pilot.
Trimble was told something completely different by his Commanding Officer. He was supposed to salvage airplanes that had been severely damaged and fly them back to their original starting points.
Needless to say, Trimble was lied to just to get him over there. He had absolutely no covert training, but he decided to take on this monumental mission anyway.
Here we have one of those unsung, ordinary Americans who accomplished an over-the-top deed facing all kinds of adversity. He himself survived by sheer wit, courage, and bravery. Trimble was surrounded by danger every minute, but that didn't stop him. He would only feel satisfied if he could save as many POWs as was humanly possible.
Beyond the Call is a book that will keep you riveted. It will infuriate, make you cry, shudder, and also be awe-inspiring all at the same time. It's a fast read (two days) and just impossible to put down.
Lee Trimble and his siblings never knew about their father's war service in Russia. That part had been locked down inside of him for the rest of his life until he was close to death. Only then did he finally open up and relate those memories of that horrific time.
This is one hell of a story.
Highly recommended.