Beirne Lay Jr. Biography

Fast Facts

• Reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force
• Graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1931 after spending his undergraduate years studying, boxing and rowing
• Was shot down twice during World War II, and each time he managed to evade capture by Nazis and return to safety
• His screenplays captured what it was like to be an American pilot in Europe, and since he had first-hand experience overseas, they were more accurate than many other Hollywood depictions
• His best known work, which he wrote first as a novel and then adapted for the screen, is "Twelve O'clock High," a war story based on his own experiences with the 100th BG
• His published books include "I Wanted Wings" and "I've Had It-The Survival of a Bomb Group Commander․"
• Published a number of articles about aviation in "The Sportsman Pilot," "Esquire," "The Saturday Evening Post," "Today" and "Harpers․"