The Po Valley break

"Three patients from a military hospital for prisoners of war at Luca, Italy make a daring night escape from a hospital train taking them to a p.o.w camp in Germany. It's the start of a flight of freedom that takes them across the river Po and the plain of Lombardy to the Apennines. For 150 miles the three escaped men tramp through enemy territory, dodging Italian police, avoiding Nazi supporters amongst the Italian populace and trying to keep one step ahead of German soldiers. It is an escape story with a difference: the human story of three man on the run - their hopes and dreams, obstacles they encounter and the sheer grit they display in the face of adversity. It is the story, too, of how lowly peasants in the Italian countryside gambled thier lives by showing humanity and kindness to these three strangers from across the seas. Two of the strangers the Italian peasants helped were from South Africa-Harry Rose-Innes of the 5th Battery, 2nd Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Cape Town and "Taffy" Thomas of the 2nd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment, Johannesburg-while the third was an American fighter pilot, Frank Huff. Theirs is a story that starts in the ancient city of Lucca in 1942 but it's as fresh as today as the unpretentious style of the author unfolds an adventure story that will be enjoyed by young and old alike."--Jacket