Beyond the Call

Praise for
Beyond the Call

‘Vivid and engaging,
Beyond the Call
is partly a story of one officer's guile and bravery in the face of forces much larger and more powerful than himself. But is also a moving and appalling tale of the full horror of World War II's last year on the eastern front.'

Randall Hansen, author of
Fire and Fury
and
Disobeying Hitler

‘
Beyond the Call
is the brilliantly told, fast-paced true story of a remarkable young man. Deceived by his superior officers, he found himself in a place where danger abounded and life was cheap but, drawing on a courage he hadn't known he possessed, he began his assignment. Nerve-wracking, informative, yet profoundly moving,
Beyond the Call
is a truly inspiring book.'

Susan Ottaway, author of
Sisters, Secrets, and Sacrifice

‘Snappy and cinematic,
Beyond the Call
is a gift, an untold story from those last days of WWII in Europe when the unthinkable became real – when our ally had turned against us, when our POWs were left to die, and when a veteran pilot would receive a harrowing final mission – to fly against the might of the Soviet Union.'

Adam Makos,
New York Times
bestselling author of
A Higher Call

BEYOND
THE CALL

BEYOND
THE CALL

THE TRUE STORY OF ONE WORLD WAR II
PILOT'S COVERT MISSION TO RESCUE
POWS ON THE EASTERN FRONT

LEE TRIMBLE
WITH
JEREMY DRONFIELD

Published in the UK in 2015 by
Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre,
39–41 North Road, London N7 9DP
email:
[email protected]
www.iconbooks.com

Published in the USA in 2015 by Berkley Books

Sold in the UK, Europe and Asia
by Faber & Faber Ltd
Bloomsbury House, 74–77 Great Russell Street,
London WC1B 3DA or their agents

Distributed in the UK, Europe and Asia
by TBS Ltd, TBS Distribution Centre, Colchester Road,
Frating Green, Colchester CO7 7DW

Distributed in Australia and New Zealand
by Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd, PO Box 8500,
83 Alexander Street, Crows Nest, NSW 2065

Distributed in South Africa by
Jonathan Ball, Office B4, The District,
41 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock 7925

Distributed in India by Penguin Books India,
7th Floor, Infinity Tower – C, DLF Cyber City,
Gurgaon 122002, Haryana

ISBN: 978-184831-851-9

Text copyright © 2015 Lee Trimble and Jeremy Dronfield

The authors have asserted their moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any
means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typeset in Bembo by Marie Doherty

Printed and bound in the UK
by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

CONTENTS

About the authors

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Maps

Preface

Prologue

  1. One Lucky Bastard

  2. An American in London

  3. The Long Way Round

  4. Behind the Curtain

  5. A Brutal Awakening

  6. Running with the Bird Dogs

  7. Fighting Bastard of the Ukraine

  8. Kasia

  9. Night of the Cossacks

10. Russian Roulette

11. Suffer the Lost Prisoners

12. American Gentlemen

13. Rising Tide

14. Far from Home

15. Isabelle

16. Bait and Switch

17. Blood Sacrifice

18. Spare the Conquered, Confront the Proud

19. The Long Way Home

Epilogue: Not Without Honor

Bibliography

Endnotes

Index

T
HIS STORY
is based on the recollections of Robert M. Trimble, as recorded by his son, Lee Trimble. Every effort has been made to verify all aspects of the story, and at most key points it has been corroborated by independent evidence. However, for some episodes there are no traceable surviving eyewitnesses, and because of the hastily improvised, top secret, and politically sensitive nature of Captain Trimble's mission, there is no direct official record. Those parts of his recollections must be taken on trust. Where corroborating evidence exists, it is cited in the book's endnotes.

In memory of Robert M. Trimble
who went to war
and Eleanor Trimble
who brought him home again

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Lee Trimble
was born in 1950, the son of Captain Robert M. Trimble. He worked in research and development on lasers, electronics and semiconductors, and was a scientific writer and reviewer for scholarly and professional journals.
Jeremy Dronfield
– ‘a gifted, original writer' (
Sunday Telegraph
) – is a novelist and historical biographer with a special interest in World War II aviation. Among his many books is the critically acclaimed
The Alchemist's Apprentice
(Headline, 2001), described as a ‘captivating metaphysical mystery and an otherworldly love story' by the
Sunday Times
.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

F
ROM THE FIRST
inception to the final proof, this book and its authors have been helped along their way by a host of kind and gifted people.

Michael and John Kaluta assisted with the early research, and gave access to the rich resource of photos, film, and documents belonging to their father, Lieutenant William R. Kaluta, who was at Poltava throughout the duration of Eastern Command and became its official historian. William MacLeod kindly passed on to us the recollections of his father, Sergeant Don MacLeod, and helped with the sourcing and identification of photographs of the Lieutenant Tillman crew during their time in Poland and Ukraine. Don Nicholson (former major, USAAF) kindly gave his recollections of Poltava and Lwów, and of his work on aircrew rescue for Eastern Command, along with copies of documents and help with photo identification. The Vergolina family generously allowed us to read the POW memoir and press clippings of Sergeant Rudy Vergolina; his son Al and grandson Joseph helped with discussion of Rudy's experiences in Normandy and Poland.

David Schmitt of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H) Memorial Association provided a wealth of information about the group's missions, including copies and transcripts of original mission documents. Lisa Sharik of the Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin, was very helpful in providing information and photos from the Lieutenant Tillman Collection. The tracing of the record of the Croix de Guerre awarded to Robert Trimble was assisted by Gérome Villain, along with Lieutenant Colonel Michèle Szmytka of the Ministère de la Défense et des Anciens Combattants.

Mike Allard helped with the early research, and brought to light the short snorter signed by Robert Trimble and the Tillman crew. Mike Mucha of the Aircraft MIA Project, Poland, and Geoff Ward of the 96th Bomb Group Association (UK) gave valuable information on the adventures of the crew. Doug Sheley's online albums were helpful in sourcing photos from the USAF archive. The George Hotel in Lviv, Ukraine (formerly the Hotel George, Lwów, Poland) kindly gave permission to use a photo of the hotel.

The staff at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, DC, and the Cambridge University Library were invaluable in easing the path of documentary research.

Thank you to Natalee Rosenstein, Robin E. Barletta and everyone at Penguin/Berkley for having faith in the book, to Duncan Heath and everyone at Icon for their work in producing this edition, and to our agent Andrew Lownie for seeing the potential in the story of Captain Robert Trimble and bringing the two of us together to tell it.

Finally, heartfelt gratitude goes to Carol Trimble Minnich and Robert Howard Trimble, Lee's sister and brother, for their help and support in bringing their father's war stories to light, and to Lee's wife Robin and children Aaron and Rachael, for their endless patience.

ABBREVIATIONS