Destined to Live: The Incredible Story of WWII Airman Wild Bill Scanlon

Destined to Live: The Incredible Story of WWII Airman Wild Bill Scanlon by Gilpatrick, Kristin. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781878569790.

By the time World War II airman William "Wild Bill" Scanlon was shot out of a B-17 and spirited to the safety of England by French Underground resistance fighters, the gutsy gunner had survived over 70 combat missions flown as a member of the air forces of three different countries. "Destined to Live" tells the true story of a Chicago man who: -- Joined the United States Cavalry at age 15; -- Learned to fly fighter planes in the Canadian Royal Air Force; -- Shot down seven confirmed Nazi fighters; -- Flew tailgunner for Britains Royal Air Force in such famous missions as the Thousand Bomber Raid and the Battle of the Ruhr; -- Rode as a B-17 replacement funner in the U.S. Eighth Air Force; -- Survived bullet and shrapnel wounds to the jaw, leg, hand and head as he fell into enemy territory Feb. 8, 1944; -- Escaped through the French Underground network back to England; -- And repeatedly beat the odds of combat to return home safely.