Near the end of World War II, thousands of Allied ex-POWs were abandoned to wander the war-torn Eastern Front in modern day Ukraine. With no food, shelter, or supplies, they were an army of dying men. The Soviets viewed POWs as cowards, and regarded all refugees as potential spies or partisans. The United States repeatedly offered to help recover their POWs, but were refused. With relations between the allies strained, a plan was conceived for an...