In the Hands of Strangers

About the Book

On June 12, 1944, six days after the D-Day invasion of Normandy, U.S. fighter pilot Fred Moretto is ambushed by German Messerschmitt 109s. Barely escaping his burning P-47 Thunderbolt, Lieutenant Moretto parachutes into the French countryside where villagers working for the Resistance conceal him from the Germans for two months in a bread oven, a secret perch in an attic, and a hayloft. In 1993, nearly 50 years later, Kim Moretto Niemeier convinces her father to return to France. Reuniting with the people and the places where he survived against all odds re-invigorates his French Connection and launches Kim’s 20-year odyssey to uncover the dramatic details of her father’s inspiring story.

About the Author

Growing up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, home of the Manhattan Project, Kim Moretto Niemeier knew little about World War II and her father’s heroic experiences as a U.S. Army Air Forces pilot flying combat missions over France and Germany. Embracing the mission to write this book gave her a deeper appreciation for those of the Greatest Generation whose stories all deserve to be told. A realtor for 32 years, Kim lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband Charles.