Tails Of A Military Cook

BIX & BONES - WWII novel of one-of-a-kind bomb group. History of this story which has now become a newly-completed novel byMark Druck retired Major USAFR entitled: BIX & BONES Original version of this material written in 1946 by a young officer just returned from WWII writing of experiences he had just been through focusing on the B-25 wild ride the sort of missions he flew in the 38th Bomb Group 5th U.S. Army Air Force against the Japanese. The missions were truly unique flown in Billy Mitchell bombers coming in over a target at altitudes UNDER 20 FEET at 300 to 350 MPH with parachutes on the bombs to slow their approximately 15-foot drop thus enabling the bomber to escape the bomb blast. Knowing nothing of structure for a novel he wrote a sort of 'my life in combat' story. Having completed this work he came to New York met a literary agent Maurice Crane with MacIntosh & Otis agency who had been a gunner on a B-17 over Germany. His plane was shot down he became a prisoner of war. When men in the camp learned he was an agent they 'promised' Crane to send their novels to him. As a result he collected dozens of mss. When the early version of this mss came in 'over the transom' Crane decided it would be 'one of the six' war stories he would represent. He praised the characterizations and dialogue as 'most valid.' Then came June 1950. The Korean War. Crane phoned to say War is no longer in fashion. He returned all six of the mss he had collected on WWII. Slow fade to 1978. Having met the Weisers Olga was told about the war novel. Let George read it she said. It was submitted on Thursday. Two business days later - Monday - Olga called to say We sold it. It was published under the title The Final Mission as a paperback. Zebra Books was thought to have printed 65000 copies of the novel. Meanwhile drastic changes had been made in the basic story and characters. In 1948 he studied playwrighting at the Dramatic Workshop then