US Army Air Force

WW2 Ace

As a young pilot,Frank Speer,a 1939 Allentown Highschool Graduate,shot down six German aircraft in his P-51 Mustang,dubbed 'Turnip Termite'in honor of the Li'l Abner cartoon.His skills as a fighter pilot earned him several honors,including the DFC .Speer was shot down over Poland ,a week before the D-Day landings.He spent a week with no food or sleep trying to escape to Denmark before being captured by the Germans.Speer,who did laps around the POW compound to stay in shape,survived a 77-hour death march from Breslau to Nüremberg in a blinding snowstorm.He escaped from a pow camp just before the war ended.In nov 2009 Frank Speer was alive and well at 87 years of age.Greetz,Brummbar