Mike Croissant is a retired CIA officer who served for more than two decades in locations
ranging from Washington, DC, to the Middle East and Central and South Asia. He currently
works as Vice President of Corporate Intelligence for Straife, a risk management company
based in Houston.
In early 2024, Citadel Press published Mike’s book, Bombing Hitler’s Hometown – The Untold Story of the Last Mass Bomber Raid of WWII in Europe, which General David Petraeus called “an extraordinary story. . .and a page-turning thriller as well.”
In this interview with Health Fitness Revolution, Croissant shares the fascinating story behind his book, the family mystery that inspired it, and his remarkable personal health transformation.
Health Fitness Revolution: What drove you to write this book?
Mike Croissant: The book grew out of an effort to solve a family mystery. My uncle, Ellsworth Croissant, served as a bombardier in the Army Air Forces in World War II. He flew 21 combat missions out of Italy, never getting so much as a scratch, only to die in a plane crash in Wisconsin just after the war ended. In 2007, I started to look into the question of why the plane crashed, and, over the course of several years, as word spread within the family of my interest in my uncle’s life, I was entrusted with the letters he wrote home during the war. Using his letters, I pieced together the combat missions he went on. My interest quickly fell upon the last mass bombing raid of the war in Europe, which took place on April 25, 1945. The target was the rail system at Linz, Austria – the town Adolf Hitler claimed as home.
HFR: I knew that Hitler was born in Austria, but I didn’t realize Linz was his hometown. Tell me more about that.
Mike Croissant: The Hitlers moved to a suburb of Linz when Adolf was 9 years old, and for the next 9 years, they would live in or near the city, which was then, and is now, the third largest city in Austria. Some significant things happened to Adolf during that time. Both of his parents died, and his baby brother passed away. He also went through puberty, which is not easy for anyone. Importantly, he was also exposed for the first time to German nationalist ideas in Linz while in middle school. After dropping out of school at age 16, he would pass his days strolling through the streets, writing poetry and sketching. Adolf loved the city but hated certain aspects of it. He would sketch the structures he would build if he had the authority to do so.
In March 1938, Hitler, having become the leader of Nazi Germany, returned to Linz at the head of a conquering army. He gave a brief speech on the town square, and the crowd’s response was so raucous that he decided to annex Austria entirely. Hitler quickly set about turning his dreams for Linz into a reality, commissioning a special project to rebuild Linz in his own image. In order to pay for the remaking of Linz into the cultural capital of Europe, he industrialized the city to raise tax revenue. The resulting steel and armaments complex, together with a vast rail network, made Linz a military target, and in July 1944, the US Fifteenth Air Force began to bomb the city regularly. My book is the story of the last raid on Linz, which just so happened to also be the last mass bombing raid of WWII in Europe. It’s a story that had not been told before.
HFR: Why did the US bomb Linz that day, and what was it like to be on the mission?
Mike Croissant: By late April 1945, Linz was the last remaining major rail center in Nazi Germany. Aerial reconnaissance aircraft detected the presence there of about 2,000 rail cars full, presumably, of supplies to extend the German war effort. These had to be taken out, and the rail lines had to be severed, so the Fifteenth Air Force sent more than 500 heavy bombers and 200 escort fighters to do the deed. Unfortunately, the Germans were waiting with a huge number of anti-aircraft guns to defend the city. The resulting barrage of shrapnel punched holes in scores of aircraft and men.
Warfare five miles above the Earth was miserable. The B-24 Liberator and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were unheated and unpressurized, and for our men to survive the elements, they had to wear multiple layers of clothing, including electrically heated suits, and wear oxygen masks. If a man took off his gloves to clear a jammed machine gun, for example, his skin would freeze to the metal. Fortunately, the men were well trained and close knit as combat air crews, and they lived and fought as brothers.
HFR: What are some of the high (or low) points of the book?
Mike Croissant: The raid was a great success, leaving Linz largely undefended when Patton’s Third Army entered the city on May 5, just days before the war ended. Unfortunately, the cost was high. Fifteen bombers were shot down, 24 airmen were killed, and many more were wounded. Almost all of the men who survived the mission carried invisible scars. Fortunately for me and for history, the men I interviewed were ready to talk about it, after locking their memories away for decades. They unburdened themselves to me, and I was honored to tell their stories.
There are so many high points. I interviewed men on the majority of the bombers that were shot down. Their stories were incredible. They parachuted out of damaged aircraft or crash landed aboard their bombers. Most fell into German hands and spent the rest of the conflict as prisoners of war. Many were recovered by our Soviet allies. I have detailed accounts from dozens of airmen in these circumstances. The ultimate high point for me, though, would be keeping a promise I made at my uncle’s graveside to tell his story. In April 2024, twelve years after making the promise, I returned and left a copy of the book at his grave.
The low point would undoubtedly be the story of Dale Shebilsky, a young radio operator from Omaha. Dale was wounded over Linz, and his bomber crash landed in Hungary. With the help of friendly Hungarians, Dale turned himself over to our Soviet “allies,” but he had destroyed his uniform and identity papers. The Russians accused him of being a German spy and illegally detained and tortured him for days. I was given sole access to Dale’s memoir and also interviewed him before he passed away, so his harrowing account is told in my book for the first time.
HFR: How did you prepare for interviews?
Mike Croissant: I wanted the story to be as accurate and authentic as possible. I wanted to make readers feel like they were there, both in the air and on the ground. I read everything I could get my hands on – not just about the strategic bombing campaign but also about the experiences of the veterans. I studied technical manuals for B-24s and B-17s. I took a ride on a B-24 and crawled all over that aircraft. I studied what the men wore and what each man on the crew did. When I did interviews, I used this knowledge to get to the heart of what air combat was like, and the veterans appreciated the lengths to which I went to understand what they did. I wanted to honor them by getting it right. The three veterans who read an early version of my manuscript said I did, and that was the highest praise I could’ve gotten. I also took two research trips to Linz, where I interviewed several Austrians who, as young children, experienced the bombing campaign underneath the bombs.
HFR: What is your biggest takeaway from the experience?
Mike Croissant: The story told in my book was almost lost to history. If I hadn’t interviewed those men when I did, all that would have remained of their stories would have been sealed away in boxes in archives scattered around the country or in letters or diaries in boxes in peoples’ attics. It is incumbent upon us, as Americans, to document the experiences of the men and women who serve this country. I encourage all Americans who, like me, did not serve in uniform, to reach out to someone who did. Approach them with compassion and empathy, and urge them to tell their stories, no matter how insignificant they may think they may be.
I also encourage veterans to tell their stories. Whether you think your story is worthy of attention or not, your children, grandchildren, and indeed all Americans need to know what you did to keep us safe. Please, tell your story, before it’s too late. It matters. What you did matters.
HFR: Tell me about how getting healthy has changed your life.
Mike Croissant: I hit rock bottom during COVID. I had been morbidly obese for years and had underlying medical conditions, including asthma. If I had contracted COVID in those early days, I probably would have died. A couple of weeks after my 50th birthday, I posed for a photo with my mom for Mothers Day. What I saw horrified me, and I decided that it was time to make serious changes.
I started doing a ketogenic diet and lost 70 pounds in seven weeks. Toward the end of that, I started doing a cardio workout based on boxing, and I eventually added weight lifting and running. I have kept the weight off for more than three years and have never felt better. My energy levels are stable, without the peaks and valleys associated with eating a lot of carbs. I sleep better. I try to inspire and motivate people in the gym, because I’m one of the oldest people there but also push myself harder than most. I’m also a calmer and more patient parent. Getting healthy is one of the best things I have ever done. To anyone who may think “I’m too far gone,” please don’t think that. It’s never too late, and if I can do it, anyone can do it.
