{"title":"Frank Pleszak","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the captivating works of Frank Pleszak, where gripping narratives and compelling characters await. Perfect for readers seeking thrilling adventures and thought-provoking stories. Start your literary journey here!\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"high-peak-dambuster-book-frank-pleszak-9781399097468","title":"The High Peak Dambuster","description":"Operation Chastise, the audacious attack on the dams in the Ruhr valley, is arguably one of the most famous airborne attacks in history. During the night of 16\/17 May 1943, 133 men in nineteen specially-adapted Lancasters - the famous Dambusters - set off to attack six dams deep in the heart of Germany. Eight of the bombers, and 56 of the aircrew, did not come home.  Three of the aircrew who took part were from the High Peak region of Derbyshire. Flight Lieutenant Bill Astell, the pilot of ED864 who hailed from Coombs near Chapel-en-le-Frith, was killed after flying into electricity pylons on the way to the dams. The navigator in ED924, Sergeant John Nugent, from Stoney Middleton, survived the Dambusters Raid but was killed later in the war. The third High Peak Dambuster, on whom this biography concentrates, is the little-known Sergeant Jack Marriott from Chinley, the flight engineer on Lancaster ED937 during the attack.  Marriott's Lancaster, Z-Zebra, reached the Moehne Dam, only to discover that it had been breached, some five bouncing bombs already having been released at it. The crew, led by Squadron Leader Henry Maudslay DFC, then flew on to the Eder Dam where their 'bouncing bomb' exploded beneath the Lancaster after hitting the parapet of the structure.  The damaged Lancaster struggled homeward, but was shot down on the Dutch border; Jack, together with his crew, was killed in the crash.  In this biography, Frank Pleszak explores Jack's life, his RAF service prior to joining 617 Squadron, and then the events leading up to and during Operation Chastise itself. But for Jack, one the immortal Dambusters, his story continued on after that historic night - particularly during the filming of the 1955 epic Dam Busters in which his aircraft features.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49559209115921,"sku":"GOR012685415","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49742222721297,"sku":"NGR9781399097468","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399097466.jpg?v=1751083060"},{"product_id":"two-years-in-a-gulag-book-frank-pleszak-9781445601779","title":"Two Years in a Gulag","description":"At the onset of the Second World War, Frank Pleszak's father MikoAaj, aged nineteen, was forcibly removed from his family in Poland by the Russian secret police and exiled to the harshest of the Siberian labour camps, the dreaded Soviet gulags of Kolyma. MikoAaj spoke very little about it. Only very occasionally would his painful memories allow him to tell Frank and his siblings a little snippet of information. After his father's death, Frank became intrigued and began researching MikoAaj's early life. As he discovered more and more, he became amazed and shocked at the ordeals his father had endured. When Germany invaded Russia, MikoAaj was freed from Kolyma but still had many trials yet to face. MikoAaj survived gulags, torture, and the war, but was never allowed to return home. Frank has followed his father's footsteps on a journey of 40,000 kilometres, through places most of us have never heard of, a journey through despair, fear, hope and disappointment, and in these pages he recounts everything he discovered along the way.  This true story occurred during a largely unknown and poorly documented period of modern history that has been denied by successive Russian Governments and largely ignored by western governments and media. Two Years in a Gulag provides a valuable insight into not only MikoAaj's story but the story of a whole Polish nation.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49565409149201,"sku":"GOR007715333","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50964392214801,"sku":"GOR008359584","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53555625558289,"sku":"GOR008032330","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/144560177X.jpg?v=1760522101"},{"product_id":"two-years-in-a-gulag-the-true-wartime-story-of-a-polish-peasant-exiled-to-siberi-rare-book-frank-pleszak-1679651750tmb","title":"Two Years in a Gulag: The True Wartime Story of a Polish Peasant Exiled to Siberia","description":"2013. First Edition. 285 pages. Signed by the author. Paperback book with pictorial cover. 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