Gunther Plüschow Book order

Set against the backdrop of Tsingtao, a picturesque beach resort in China, the narrative unfolds during the autumn of 1914, highlighting a significant yet overlooked battle of World War I. German defenders, vastly outnumbered and outgunned, showcased remarkable bravery for two months. Central to this struggle is Gunther Plüschow, a lone aviator who, despite flying a barely functional monoplane and armed only with a pistol, engaged in daring reconnaissance missions against superior Allied forces.

After being caught in Gibraltar during an earlier attempt to return to his homeland, Pluschow and other captured Germans were shipped to Plymouth and then on to the PoW camp at Donington Hall, where he arrived in May 1915. On July 4 he and fellow prisoner Oskar Trefftz broke out by climbing over two 9ft barbed wire fences, before walking 15 miles to Derby where they caught a train to London. They went their separate ways but Trefftz was recaptured at Millwall Docks. Pluschow then stowed away on a Dutch steamer ship at Tilbury docks, talked his way past a policeman in Holland before travelling to Germany by train. Upon his return home he received a hero's welcome and was presented with the Iron Cross First Class.