eBay Find

Every so often something comes up on eBay that I have to get. The latest is a large, glossy magazine put out by the YMCA shortly after World War Two ended, entitled "Yankee Kriegies: How Our POWs Made Little Americas Behind Nazi Barbed Wire". What makes this book so good is its two narrators, one a wonderful artist and writer, the other a stealthy photographer who took many clandestine photos of prison camp life. Ross Greening, who did many of the illustrations and text, was one of the original Doolittle Raiders who attacked Tokyo in the early days of the war. He then flew in Europe and became a POW. He kept an art book going while in the service and after the war this was published in a limited edition, entitled 'Not As Briefed'. It is in my opinion the finest art collection produced by a POW during the war, though it covers everthing from training through the Dolittle mission and his time in Europe.

One of Greening watercolors, showing the navigator bailing out of a crippled B-17

New prisoners arrive at Stalag Luft I on a cold, blustery day, by Ross Greening.
C. Ross Greening, Tokyo Raider and later POW in Germany

The other writer, Sgt. Anthony Spinelli, managed to take many photos of life in the prison camp, and many are in this magazine.

The magazine is a real yearbook/scrapbook of kriegie life and an important piece of history. I got it for $2.99 as no one else even put in a bid on it.

To read a good article from Flight Journal about Col. Greening, follow this link http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3897/is_199910/ai_n8859543

To see more of Greening's art, go this link: http://www.merkki.com/art.htm

The book is hard to find in hardback, running over a hundred dollars on Amazon, but can be found for less if you do some searching. Paperback copies of 'Not As Briefed' are reasonable on Amazon. Here is the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0874222397/atribtothecac-20

Greening's Book, Not As Briefed: From the Doolittle Raid to a German Stalag