On October 21, 1942, during World War II, a B-17 Flying Fortress carrying Colonel Eddie Rickenbacker on a secret fact-finding mission for the Pentagon strayed hundreds of miles off course. Unable to find their refueling stop at Canton Island, the crew was forced to ditch the plane in a remote part of the Central Pacific.
: After three weeks at sea, the group began to separate their rafts to increase the chances of being spotted. A Navy patrol plane finally rescued Rickenbacker's group on November 13, 1942. Only one crew member, Sergeant Alexander Kaczmarczyk, did not survive the ordeal. Book: Lost in the Pacific, 1942 by Tod Olson Lost in the Pacific
: Eight men—including Rickenbacker, his aide, and a five-man crew—scrambled into three small inflatable rafts. On October 21, 1942, during World War II,
: Most supplies were lost during the crash; the men were left with only four oranges. For 24 days, they battled dehydration, starvation, and exposure to the sun. A Navy patrol plane finally rescued Rickenbacker's group
This book is the first in the "Lost" series and is highly recommended for readers who enjoy dramatic, well-researched survival history.