FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
University of Michigan Press
www.press.umich.edu
Finding pilots downed behind enemy lines
New biography—the first—of the man who created the techniques we use today
Lost Eagles: One Man’s Mission to Find Missing Airmen in Two World Wars
By Blaine Pardoe
Cloth 978-0-472-11752-9 / $32.50
Publication Date: October 2010
Few people have ever heard of Frederick Zinn, yet even today airmen’s families are
touched by this man and the work he performed in both world wars. Zinn created the
techniques still in use to determine the final fate of airmen missing in action. The last line
of the Air Force Creed reads, “We will leave no airman behind.” Zinn made that promise
possible.
Blaine Pardoe weaves together the complex story of a man who brought peace and
closure to countless families who lost airmen during both world wars. His lasting
contribution to warfare was a combination of his methodology for locating the remains of
missing pilots (known as the Zinn system) and his innovation of imprinting all aircraft
parts with the same serial number so that if a wreck was located, the crewman could be
identified. The tradition he established for seeking and recovering airmen is carried on to
this day.
Pardoe is an accomplished author who has published dozens of military fiction novels and other
books, including the widely acclaimed Cubicle Warfare: Self-Defense Tactics for Today's
Hypercompetitive Workplace.
For a full press kit, visit www.press.umich.edu/mediakits. For interviews or a review copy of the
book, please contact Heather Newman (below).
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Press contact:
Heather Newman, Trade Marketing Manager
University of Michigan Press
734-615-6477
newmanh@umich.edu