THE MAN WHO FLEW THE AMERIKA BOMBER
by John Fuller Ryan
The secrets of an Austrian World War II pilot are gradually revealed in this historical novel.
Max Wald (aka Maximillian Hans-Georg, Hereditary Baron von Waldberg) has spent more than three decades alone in a hidden rustic cabin in the Maine woods surrounding the village of Owl’s Head. Now, nearing the end of his life, he is ready to share his story. And he has chosen to tell it to local reporter Peggy Pederson, who has returned home after a stint with a prestigious Boston newspaper. During her time in Boston, Peggy published a book about wartime France. The heavily researched volume received critical praise but sold poorly. Plus, her feverish four-year immersion in the project resulted in the breakup of a long-term romantic relationship. Following the death of her father, Peggy has moved back to Owl’s Head to be with her mother. At the end of her first meeting with Max, the aging former Luftwaffe pilot asks Peggy to drive him to a lighthouse. Pointing to the ocean, Max says: “Out there, maybe a couple of miles from here, at the bottom of the sea, is an experimental German aircraft, a Junkers 390 six-engined airplane designed for long-range bombing, cargo carrying and ocean patrol.” Thus begins Max’s page-turning account of his experiences in the German air force, his increasing disillusionment, and his involvement in a secret project that could have cost the Allies the war. Ryan has seamlessly woven together a poignant, fictional love story and mystery with historically rich details so vivid that he brings readers directly into the cockpits of the German war planes and the freezing horrors on the ground during the disastrous campaign to take Stalingrad. Aeronautics fans should especially appreciate the minutiae of the constant redesigning of the German planes. The bulk of the captivating novel is in Max’s articulate, frequently emotional voice as he relates his remarkable story. Alternating with Max’s autobiographical tale is the intriguing, albeit more prosaically written, narrative of Peggy’s backstory and the relationship she develops with this enigmatic recluse.
An engaging, disturbing read with an imaginative, fictional hypothesis about a submerged aircraft.