By MONTE DUTTON

Millions fought in World War II. Thousands were taken prisoner. Thousands of works of fiction have been written.

Silver Wings, Iron Cross by Tom Young thus becomes plausible amid the sheer numbers of the conflagration. If such a story never happened, perhaps it should have.

In the waning days of the war, Hitler was growing desperate. The Allies had retaken France and were converging on the Third Reich.

Lieutenant Karl Hagan is an American bomber pilot. Oberlieutnant Wilhelm Albrecht is the executive officer of a German U-boat docked in Bremen for repairs. Hagan’s B-17 bombs Albrecht’s submarine. It is then shot down. Albrecht is then assigned a suicide mission by his country’s high command, which orders his U-boat to ram Allied shipping.

Both men are torn. Hagan is the son of German immigrants whose latest mission has rained weapons of destruction on a city where his relatives live and work. A decorated sailor, Albrecht cannot knowingly send his colleagues to a sure death.

Not knowing the fate of fellow crewmen, Hagan parachutes out of his bomber at the last possible moment. Albrecht deserts, knowing that his capture by the SS means his immediate execution. They happen upon each other in a bombed-out Bremen factory.

Survival means that enemies must learn to fight for each other, and lie for each other, or else they will die for each other.

The German speaks English. The American speaks German. For two thirds of the tale, they are desperately on the run. Inevitably, they are captured and confined in a stalag, where Albrecht’s task of impersonating an American airman becomes even more difficult.

Over the years, I’ve read a lot of war stories. I’ve visited battlefields. I’ve tried to fill gaps in my knowledge.

Even in the great battle of good and evil that was World War II, honorable men fought for both sides. The author has given readers a great model in Wilhelm Albrecht, a German, not a Nazi.

They encounter hostility from villagers, merchants, young people, all indoctrinated to the Nazi cause and oblivious to its failings. It all rings dangerously true to our time, where so much hatred permeates society. Gradually they grow to respect each other even as the obstacles they face grow.

It was a good time to read this novel, which which was given me in a care package while I was hospitalized in January. At the time I didn’t have enough of my right mind to read it or anything else. I was too busy figuring out how to type again and wondering if I made much sense to the visitors.

I finished it Sunday night, Memorial Day eve, while TCM was televising one war movie after another. I’m writing this while watching The Story of G.I. Joe, and, man, did Burgess Meredith ever make a perfect Ernie Pyle.

I don’t often read over 500 pages in the span of a week. I read it over meals, automobile races, basketball and baseball games, and President Bone Spur telling the cadets of West Point how he made them what they are today.

I awakened this morning with familiar, silly lyrics in my head.

I love little baby ducks,, old pickup trucks, slow moving trains and rain. …

Boil that cabbage down, bake them biscuits brown …

Nashville cats play clean as country water, Nashville cats play wild as mountain dew, Nashville cats been playing since they’s babies, Nashville cats got work before rhey’re two …

Dang me, dang me, they oughtta take a rope and hang me …

I wish I was an apple a-hanging on a tree, and every time that Cindy passed, she’d take a bite of me …

Wooly-bully, wooly-bully, wooly-bully, wooly-bully, wooly-bully. …

Highbrow stuff.

I think Clint Eastwood killed more people in Where Eagles Dare than any other movie.

The whistling tune at the beginning and end of The Bridge on the River Kwai is officially called “The Colonel Bogey March.” When I was in grade school, the lyrics began “Comet will make your mouth turn green …”

You can order a copy of Silver Wings, Iron Cross here. It’s worth a read.

Many of my books are also available on Amazon.

Remember. Reading is fundamental.