Staff Sergeant Arthur Meyerowitz was just 25 years old when his B-24 Liberator was blasted out of the sky over Nazi-occupied France in 1943. Alone, injured, and behind enemy lines, the Bronx-born Jew spent the next six months evading capture by the Gestapo with the help of the French Resistance. Now, his harrowing story is getting the Hollywood treatment—with Ben Stiller in the director’s chair and Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Allen White set to star.
From a Burning Bomber to the French Countryside
The events that inspired Airman are drawn from The Lost Airman, a nonfiction book written by Meyerowitz’s grandson, Seth Meyerowitz. On his second bombing mission—one he wasn’t even supposed to be on—Meyerowitz’s aircraft, nicknamed “Harmful Lil’ Armful,” was intercepted by German fighters after completing a bombing run over France. The plane caught fire, and the crew was forced to bail out at 18,000 feet. Of the ten-man crew, some were captured, some killed, but Staff Sgt. Meyerowitz—battered from a rough landing—was one of the lucky few to evade capture.
After cutting himself down from a tree and injuring his back, Meyerowitz took a gamble and approached a nearby farmhouse. That single act of trust changed his fate. The family turned out to be connected to Marcel Taillandier, a leader of the feared and respected French resistance network known as Réseau Morhange. From there, Meyerowitz’s survival became a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the Gestapo, who routinely hunted downed airmen for torture or execution.
Becoming a Deaf-Mute Named “Georges Lambert”
Meyerowitz was taught to pose as a deaf-mute to hide his American accent and reduce the risk of exposure during his journey across France. Under the codename Georges Lambert, he was shuffled between safe houses, hidden in the open in cities like Toulouse, and guided by resistance fighters through German checkpoints. His final escape took him across the snowy Pyrenees into Spain, and eventually to safety in Gibraltar in June 1944—just weeks before D-Day.
His story, backed by declassified documents, resistance letters, and personal interviews, paints a picture not just of one man’s will to survive, but of the unsung French patriots who risked everything to fight back.
The Film: Ben Stiller’s Most Ambitious Turn Yet?
Ben Stiller, best known to casual audiences for comedies like Zoolander and Tropic Thunder, has been quietly building a reputation as a serious director through his work on Apple TV+’s Severance and Showtime’s Escape at Dannemora. Airman marks his return to feature films, and it’s a major tonal shift—an intense World War II survival thriller with deep historical and emotional resonance.
Jeremy Allen White, fresh off his portrayal of Bruce Springsteen in Deliver Me From Nowhere and his Emmy-winning role in FX’s The Bear, will take on the role of Arthur Meyerowitz. White’s casting suggests a focus on physical endurance and psychological transformation—key elements in Meyerowitz’s real-life saga.
The film is being produced by Stiller’s Red Hour Films along with A24, Le Grisbi Productions, Storyteller Productions, and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories banner. Gyllenhaal was originally set to star in the adaptation when it was first announced back in 2018 but remains onboard as a producer. Production is currently slated to begin in early 2027.
There’s no shortage of World War II films, but Airman stands apart by focusing on a single airman’s isolated, ground-level escape story—without the backdrop of massive battles or sweeping military operations. It’s a story about grit, survival, and the invisible web of ordinary civilians who risked their lives to fight tyranny from within.
For U.S. military veterans—and especially Jewish servicemembers—Meyerowitz’s journey hits a particularly powerful nerve. As a Jewish airman, he faced not only the risk of being captured as a “terrorflieger” (as the Nazis labeled Allied airmen) but also the near-certain death that came with his heritage. The fact that he survived at all is nothing short of miraculous—and a testament to his courage, the loyalty of the French Resistance, and the human instinct to defy evil.
Stiller and his creative team have a chance here to shed light on an overlooked corner of WWII history. And while the A-list talent might draw headlines, it’s Arthur Meyerowitz’s story that deserves to take center stage.
© 2025 The Salty Soldier. All Rights Reserved.
The content of this webpage may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent of TheSaltySoldier.com.
