A WWII Escape Story: US Army Air Forces 1LT Bob Hoover On his 59th combat mission during World War II, 1LT Bob Hoover’s Spitfire was shot down over Southern France. Captured by the Germans, he spent over a year in the brutal Stalag Luft I POW camp until the night chaos erupted. While prisoners rioted, Hoover and two others scaled the fence and vanished into enemy territory. Armed with only a pistol, stolen bicycles, and sheer determination, Hoover made a daring escape across war-torn Europe. But