The Maxine Flournoy Third Coast Squadron CAF Presents
4-4-43 a World War II Documentary Film by producer John D. Luckas
The story of Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess Little Known War Hero
ARANSAS PASS, Texas --- September 9, 2015, Col Pearson Knolle, Unit Leader of The Maxine Flournoy Third Coast Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, today announced that the organization will present a showing of 4-4-43, a World War II documentary film by producer John D. Luckas that tells the story about Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess on Thursday, November 12, 2015 from 5:30pm-8:00pm at Movies Inc. Theater, 4222 Wildcat Drive, Calallen, TX 78410.
“The Squadron members are very happy and proud to bring this World War II documentary film to the Corpus area.” said Col Knolle. “The Squadron has worked with Mr. Luckas in arranging the exclusive area showing of the film.”
This film tells the story of Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess, one of the war’s most extraordinary, yet little-known heroes. This astonishing, true action adventure is finally told in full in this groundbreaking documentary film by John Luckas.
4-4-43 delivers a dramatic, gripping account of one of the most remarkable incidents of World War II — the only successful group escape from a Japanese POW camp. On April 4, 1943, 10 American prisoners of war — survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March and the Fall of Corregidor — and two Filipino convicts carried out a daring escape from one of Japan's most notorious (and reputedly escape-proof) prison camps, the Davao Penal Colony located on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
4-4-43 also chronicles the events leading up to the fall of the Philippines and the Japanese occupation, and later concludes on the home front, as some members of the "Davao Dozen" seek to rally the country to the plight of their comrades still in captivity. The documentary, based on John Luckas's book, unfolds through the story of USAF Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess, along with wartime correspondence, archival documents and contemporary footage. (Note: the on-screen title is 4-4-43: Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess and the Greatest Story of the War in the Pacific.)
The Squadron’s mission is to establish and maintain a permanent presence in the community so as to preserve and illustrate the Coastal Bend's involvement in the history of those men and women who served in the past and still serve in today’s military. The Squadron believes in and adheres to the Commemorative Air Force's mission of teaching and preserving history through restoring the aircraft and memories of our veterans.