About 4-4-43

Email from the writer and producer, John Lukacs, to the Central Texas Wing:

I'm writing to inquire about any interest you might have in hosting a special, "sneak-peek" screening of a groundbreaking new documentary film, 4-4-43: Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess and The Greatest Story of the War in the Pacific, at the CAF Central Texas Wing in San Marcos. Narrated by decorated Vietnam veteran/Hollywood actor Capt. Dale Dye (USMC), the film is an epic, educational and entertaining true adventure tale of the only large- scale escape of U.S. prisoners-of-war in the Pacific Theater during World War II and their fight to tell their story to the world, as well as the remarkable unknown hero – Col. Dyess, a native Texan from Albany, member of the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame and flying legend of the Pacific war – that was largely responsible for it all.

"4-4-43" will be airing nationally on hundreds of PBS stations around the country later this year, globally on Armed Forces Network and the Pentagon Channel, as well as in screening events at museums, military bases, film festivals and schools. Efforts are also underway to make the film available on iTunes, Hulu.com, Amazon Instant Video and Netflix. I think the film would be a great draw for the wing, your museum and would be warmly received by an diverse audience of history buffs, aviation enthusiasts and the central Texas community at large.

The film's companion website, 4-4-43.com, will launch in March. In the meantime, an HD trailer of the film is available for viewing here: http://vimeo.com/82324903. The film is one-hour in length. As for potential dates, I'm organizing a "barnstorming" screening tour in Texas in early April in conjunction with the anniversary of the escape date, April 4, 1943.

ABOUT "4-4-43"

Americans know of the Doolittle Raiders. Of the Midway codebreakers. The Tuskegee Airmen. The Band of Brothers. The Monuments Men. The Iwo Jima flagraisers. Soon, the "Davao Dozen" will join the historical pantheon of the most monumentally important and meaningful stories of World War II. It's a sensational story seventy years in the making.

On April 4, 1943, ten American prisoners-of-war and two Filipino convicts broke out of the Davao Penal Colony, an escape-proof Imperial Japanese Army prison plantation in the Philippines. Called "the Greatest Story of the War in the Pacific" by the U.S. War Department in 1944, this astonishing, yet true action adventure tale is told through the eyes of Lt. Col. William Edwin Dyess, one of World War II's most extraordinary, yet little-known heroes.

Known as the "One-Man Scourge of the Japanese," the swashbuckling fighter pilot from Texas dueled with enemy planes in aerial combat, led America's first amphibious landing of the war, survived the infamous Bataan Death March and nearly a year in enemy captivity to help lead the only large-scale POW escape of the Pacific War and later, a top secret fight against the U.S. Government to break the news of Japanese atrocities to the world -- all before his tragic death in a plane crash at the age of 27.

Shot in HD in the continental U.S., Hawaii and the Philippines, '4-4-43' features archival WWII media, captured enemy combat footage, stunning aerial photography and special effects, intimate interviews with surviving veterans and the narrative talents of Hollywood actor and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dale Dye ("Saving Private Ryan," "Band of Brothers") as well as "The Voice of the Oscars," Tom Kane, as Col. Dyess.

An educational and entertaining epic documentary film, "4-4-43" is a quintessential American tale of fate, faith, heroism and inspirational triumph over long odds.

Based upon the book "Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War" by John D. Lukacs.

The general public is invited. Admission is free. Hangar/Museum opens 6 pm on April 9th, 2014, Screening starts 7:30 pm For questions about this Premier Showing,
email [email protected] or call 512-699-3639. World War II re-enactors, P-39 and P-40 on display, John Lukacs to introduce documentary CAF hangar at the San Marcos airport, San Marcos, TX