Walk Among Heroes is honored to feature P-51 Mustang Pilot, First Lieutenant James (Jim) Frolking as our guest for Episode 23. Mr. Frolking joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 8th Air Force's 479th Fighter Group, arriving in England just in time to fly his first mission on June 6, 1944, a day forever known as 'D-Day'. Initially flying P-38's, Mr. Frolking provide air cover for the invasion forces on June 6th. Following D-Day Mr. Frolking provided bomber support/escort for long B-17 and B-24 bombing missions into Germany and surrounding areas (50 missions).
First Lieutenant Frolking's story has all of the twists and turns, close calls, and lucky breaks of a Hollywood movie. On October 7, 1944, on his way back to England from Czechoslovakia, Mr. Frolking's plane was hit by enemy fire over a German-occupied island in the Netherlands. He bailed out, only to land uninjured on a sandbar, with land in sight. After spending the night in the dinghy that was part of his escape pack, he decided to head for shore, and eventually made contact with the Dutch underground. For three weeks, he was hidden and cared-for by a Dutch family, while Germans patrolled the surrounding area. In one terrifying incident, German officers requisitioned and lived inside the farmhouse which he was staying (downstairs while he hid upstairs).
For those interested in reading Mr. Frolking's full story, a copy of his memoir can be downloaded for free at: https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.48142/
Simply an amazing man with an amazing story, it's an honor to share Mr. Frolking story with you. A huge 'thank you' to Shreyas Ganesh. Thank you, Shreyas, for volunteering your time as sound engineer for this podcast!
Walk Among Heroes is honored to feature P-51 Mustang Pilot, First Lieutenant James (Jim) Frolking as our guest for Episode 23. Mr. Frolking joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 8th Air Force's 479th Fighter Group, arriving in England just in time to fly his first mission on June 6, 1944, a day forever known as 'D-Day'. Initially flying P-38's, Mr. Frolking provide air cover for the invasion forces on June 6th. Following D-Day Mr. Frolking provided bomber support/escort for long B-17 and B-24 bombing missions into Germany and surrounding areas (50 missions).
First Lieutenant Frolking's story has all of the twists and turns, close calls, and lucky breaks of a Hollywood movie. On October 7, 1944, on his way back to England from Czechoslovakia, Mr. Frolking's plane was hit by enemy fire over a German-occupied island in the Netherlands. He bailed out, only to land uninjured on a sandbar, with land in sight. After spending the night in the dinghy that was part of his escape pack, he decided to head for shore, and eventually made contact with the Dutch underground. For three weeks, he was hidden and cared-for by a Dutch family, while Germans patrolled the surrounding area. In one terrifying incident, German officers requisitioned and lived inside the farmhouse which he was staying (downstairs while he hid upstairs).
For those interested in reading Mr. Frolking's full story, a copy of his memoir can be downloaded for free at: https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.48142/
Simply an amazing man with an amazing story, it's an honor to share Mr. Frolking story with you. A huge 'thank you' to Shreyas Ganesh. Thank you, Shreyas, for volunteering your time as sound engineer for this podcast!