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Enter the Secret World of 'The Quiet Birdmen' -- Aviator's Son Uncovers Eighty-Eight-Year-Old Secret Pilot Fraternity Through a Historical Fiction Novel

JUPITER, Fla., Dec. 7, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steven Barton uncovers one of the best-kept secrets in the realm of aviation with the release of his historical fiction novel, The Quiet Birdmen: "Operation Annahme." After sixty-seven years of silence, Barton reveals secret WWII agreements between a group of German Luftwaffe pilots and the Allied High Command, initiated by the secret pilot fraternity, the Quiet Birdmen (QB). Four WWII QB fighter pilots agree to finally make their presence and this unbelievable secret operation known to the general public.

The novel follows these fresh-faced boys who go off to learn how to fly and fight in a war they knew little about. By the end of World War II, they each will have survived over a hundred combat missions. Their collective story explores the madness of war, the horror of death, the warmth of friendships forged, and the thrill of heart-stopping aerial duels. From this setting emerges the story of the Quiet Birdmen, told through the secret agreement between two brother QB members, German WWI ace Ernst Udet and American WWI ace Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, who are long-time friends once again on opposite sides of a world war.

Steven Barton uses his familial background to tell this historical fact filled story, coated with fiction, The Quiet Birdmen, is relived in breathtaking detail. Barton always knew he was adopted. However, in 2008, his father, Captain Raymond Schmidt, a retired Eastern Airlines 1011 Captain, decided to tell him the full story behind his adoption. Fully not expecting what he eventually knew, Barton was totally astounded to hear that his true father was a German WWII jet fighter pilot who was killed in action two days before the conclusion of World War II. A member of the Quiet Birdmen, Oberst Rudolf Arendt was among a group of Luftwaffe officers who signed a secret document swearing, among others, not to fly against the Allies in return for full assistance in locating their families after the war and bringing them to the United States to start a new life.

Such unexpected, disarming facts and Barton's unrelenting compelling narrative along with the fact filled surprises regarding the Fourth Reich, the QB Children, and the climatic finish involving an assassination that took place in Argentina on one of Captain Schmidt's last Eastern flights. These are just some of the book's magnetic elements that will keep readers glued from the first page to the last. For more information on The Quiet Birdmen: "Operation Annahme," interested parties can log on to www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author

The Quiet Birdmen is Steven Barton's first novel. He holds a degree in Criminology from Florida State University. He has twenty-plus years of investigative experience in law enforcement. He is currently a member of a counterterrorism unit for the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. He is a member of the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, the Police Benevolent Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, the American Society of Industrial Security, the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers, the Boy Scouts of America, the Order of the Arrow, and Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He lives in Florida with his wife, Darlene. You may visit him at his Web site: www.Quietbirdmennovel.com.

                    The Quiet Birdmen * by Steven Barton
                             "Operation Annahme"
                     Publication Date: December 4, 2009
            Trade Paperback; $9.99; 406 pages; 978-1-4415-6409-2
            Trade Hardback; $34.99; 406 pages; 978-1-4415-6410-8

Members of the media who wish to review this book may request a complimentary paperback copy by contacting the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7479. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7876.

For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.

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