Exploring Family History Through Wartime Letters and Research

After the passing of her parents, Jan Cress Dondi discovered hundreds of wartime letters that opened a window into her family’s past—specifically the service of her father and uncle in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. What began as a personal exploration grew into a detailed research journey that ultimately became The Navigator’s Letter, a nonfiction book set to be published by Hachette Book Group in February 2026 and now available for preorder.

A Life Shaped by Curiosity and Determination

Born in Hillsboro, Illinois, and raised in Atlanta, Dondi attended Mercer University from 1973–75 before completing her bachelor’s degree at the University of Georgia in 1977. Her early career took her from retail in Florida to Alaska, where she pivoted to paralegal work and built a 30-year career in trial litigation.

A work assignment in Texas brought her back into contact with her former college sweetheart, Beda Dondi, whom she later married. The couple eventually settled in Fort Lauderdale and raised two daughters; today, they enjoy time with their four grandchildren.

Transforming Family Letters Into a Historical Narrative

Following retirement, Dondi turned her attention to family history. She had grown up hearing her father Bob’s stories of WWII and recorded his accounts when he was about 70—footage that became foundational to her research.

Tragedy struck several years later when Dondi lost her mother, sister, and niece to breast cancer. During that difficult period, the wartime letters from her father and her uncle, John B., became an emotional anchor and a starting point for a deeper investigation.

“It is every letter that sends me searching for answers,” Dondi said. “It was important to me to learn what these two men experienced daily.”

Parallel Lives in the Air Corps

Although not related by blood, Bob and John B. shared remarkable similarities. Both grew up in the same town, joined the Army Air Corps, became B-24 navigators, and were sent to the European theatre. Each flew over Ploesti, Romania, a heavily defended Nazi oil hub, and both were shot down and declared missing during their service.

Their intertwined experiences form the backbone of The Navigator’s Letter.

Inside One of WWII’s Most Dangerous Missions

The book follows the U.S. campaign to cripple Nazi Germany’s oil supply, beginning with Operation Tidal Wave in 1943—a perilous low-altitude bombing run over Ploesti that cost more than half the American aircraft involved.

Dondi also explores the high-altitude raids that followed and culminated with Operation Reunion, the largest air evacuation in history, which rescued 1,162 prisoners of war and brought them to safety in Italy.

Through personal accounts, pilot logs, veterans’ testimonies, and international archives, Dondi reconstructs the severe challenges airmen faced: freezing temperatures, flak bursts, enemy fighters, and the emotional weight of leaving loved ones behind.

A Story Built From Memoirs, Archives, and Global Research

Many sections of the book draw from Bob’s unfinished memoirs, including a memorable chapter about a staged “emergency landing” at the Chicago Midway airfield that allowed the crew to reunite briefly with their families before deployment.

Dondi’s research took her across multiple countries:

• Romania – Visiting her father’s POW camp, crash site, and speaking at the U.S. Embassy.
• England – Standing on the airfield where her uncle served, and discovering a life-sized photo of him at the Imperial War Museum
• Germany – Accessing Federal Archives to obtain records from the German pilot who shot down her father’s plane
• United States – Interviewing a POW veteran in Indianapolis and connecting with historians and bombardment groups.

She even flew in one of the two remaining operational B-24 Liberators, deepening her understanding of what the airmen endured.

A Tribute to Unsung Heroes

“There was a tremendous amount of love behind the heart of this book,” Dondi said. “There should be as many people as possible who hear Bob and John B.’s story. What they — and all those airmen did — was extraordinary.”

The Navigator’s Letter is both a family chronicle and a scrupulously detailed account of a historical event, paying tribute to the brave men who risked everything in the air over Europe.

Start Writing Smarter with Writer Cosmos!