Brickhill, Paul (1916-1991), an Australian author, wrote The Dam Busters (1951), which was later made into a movie. The movie version of The Dam Busters topped British box-office records in 1955. It was based on the British Royal Air Force raids on the Mohne and Eder dams in Germany in May 1943, during World War II (1939-1945). The book provides a thrilling account of the preparation of the special bomb used in the raid, the training for the attack, and the courage of the air crews. The Great Escape, another of Brickhill’s books, was made into a movie of the same name. It topped British box-office records in 1956 and was even more successful when it was remade as a Hollywood film in 1963. The novel, based on a true story, tells how Allied troops escaped from a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. Brickhill’s other works include Reach for the Sky (1954), a biography of the British air ace Douglas Bader, who flew despite the disability of having artificial legs.
Paul Chester Jerome Brickhill was born on Dec. 20, 1916, in Melbourne, Australia. He served as a fighter pilot during World War II. Brickhill died on April 23, 1991.
