Frozen in Time (39 page)
Authors: Mitchell Zuckoff
in later years, 332–33
leaving the area, 181–82
and Lost Squadron rescue, 18
and PN9E support, 123–24, 125–30, 173, 174, 175
Pollard as captain of, 126–27, 129–30, 181
and rescue of Canadian airmen, 84–90, 142
and rescue of PN9E airmen, 6, 90–91, 128–30, 140–42, 151–52, 181
rescue work of, 2–4, 182
North Pole, seaplanes in, 207
North South Polar Inc., 43, 94, 190, 221, 228
Coast Guard contract of, 199, 202, 277
demobilization order from, 299
and Lou,
see
Sapienza, Lou
search permit issued to, 197
team members, 223–24
travel to base camp, 246–49
North Star,
208
Norwegian Air Service, 207
O’Hara, William “Bill,”
66
, 339
and crash, 54, 55
death of, 325
food and supplies, 62
and frozen feet, 63, 65, 74–76, 127, 138, 144, 174, 175, 185, 217
and gangrene, 76, 122, 127, 135, 144, 169
in later years, 323–25
legs amputated, 235
at Motorsled Camp, 180, 184, 185, 285
and motorsled self-rescue attempt, 175–80
and PN9E, 33,
34
, 37
and rescue, 147, 148, 151, 233, 235, 297, 315
and Spencer’s fall in crevasse, 71–73
and survival, 65–67, 74, 90, 121, 122, 145, 155, 168, 180, 184–85, 214, 217, 278
Operation Bolero, 17, 22, 118
Operation Duck Hunt,
see
Duck Hunt
Operation IceBridge, 194
Operation Torch, 144
P-38, crash of,
see
Lost Squadron
Pan American Airlines, 14
Parunak, Dick, 118, 207
Pat (sled dog), 284
Patton, George S. Jr., 108
PBY Catalina flying boat (Dumbo),
234
Balchen’s rescue plan using, 207–10, 214–17, 231–35
as naval workhorse, 207
rescue missions of, 22, 261, 263–66, 284, 287–96,
292
volunteer crews for, 210
weak forward bulkhead of, 231, 233, 296
Pearl Harbor, 17
Peter, king of Yugoslavia, 108
Pikiutdlek (Koge Bay), 35
PN9E,
see
B-17 PN9E bomber crew
Podraza, Carol Sue Spencer, 322
polar bears, 198
Pollard, Francis “Frank,” 339
and Canadian airmen rescue, 87–88, 142
Navy and Marine Corps Medal to, 90, 125
as
Northland
captain, 126–27, 129–30, 181
and PN9E, 123, 126–30, 141, 146
POW/MIAs,
see
DPMO
“Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,” 85
Preble, Stanley, 182
Pritchard, Gil, 129
Pritchard, John Jr.,
8
,
128
,
132
, 307, 339–40
and Canadian airmen, 84, 88,
89
, 90, 129
and Coast Guard oath, 129
death officially declared, 155
and Demorest’s fall in crevasse, 148, 149
Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to, 155
and Duck crash, 150–53, 156, 316
as Duck pilot, 3, 7, 96, 133,
135
, 140, 146, 149, 156, 192, 249, 250, 316
early years of, 130–33, 164
landings and takeoffs on ice cap, 129, 136–40, 149, 206, 207, 208, 291
memorials to,
327
, 333
missing in action, 46, 96, 151, 153, 175, 178, 182, 198, 220, 283, 297, 322
Navy and Marine Corps Medal to, 90
next of kin, 156–57, 163–64
and PN9E rescue mission, 3–4, 6–8, 91, 128–30, 135–41, 142, 145–46, 156, 315
and recovery, 317, 334
Pritchard, John Sr., 130, 131
Pritchard, Nancy (Krause), 130, 133, 163–64, 201
Pritchard, Virginia, 131, 155, 156–57
Puryear, Lloyd “Woody,”
59
, 340
and crash, 54, 58
death of, 328
in later years, 327–28
and rescue, 139–42, 156, 235, 297
and search for C-53, 35–36, 58
and Short Snorters, 108
and survival, 58–59, 74, 105–7, 111
Richardson, Edward “Bud,” 164–66, 343
Rinsky (lead dog), 284
Rittichier, Jack, 95–96
Rommel, Erwin, 145
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 108
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 15, 108, 318, 324
Royal Canadian Air Force, plane crash,
see
Canadian bomber
Sabo, Alex, 215, 289, 338
Sapienza, Lou (Luciano),
42
, 98–103,
100
,
335
, 343–44
background of, 98–100
and demobilization, 299, 300–301, 313–14
and discovery, 316, 317
and Duck Hunt,
see
Duck Hunt
and equipment, 220–24,
220
, 269, 310
and funding, 45–46, 95, 160–63, 190–91, 196, 197, 199, 201–2, 221
future plans of, 334–35
and
George I,
101–2
and
Glacier Girl,
101,
102
, 160
and Hotsy move, 305, 308, 310
and Lost Squadron, 100–101, 197
meetings with military brass, 41–47, 92–95, 158–63
and mission operations plan, 244–45
patches and logos of, 94
plans moving forward, 196–98, 224–28
and points of interest, 276–77, 280, 282, 301, 313
quest of, 40, 43–44, 47, 94, 190, 196, 200, 283, 334–35
and radar, 242–44
and Short Snorters, 334
Sapienza, Ryan, 219, 300,
335
, 344
and Hotsy move, 307, 308
roles of, 223, 224
travel to base camp, 246
Sargent, Thomas, 131
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), 330
Shackleton, Ernest, 202–3, 218, 283
Shangri-La, rescue mission to, 187
Short Snorters, 107–8, 115, 142, 333–34
Smith, Edward “Iceberg,” 340
and Balchen’s rescue plan, 206, 208–10
and Canadian airmen rescue, 91
and Greenland Patrol, 16, 123, 130, 151
and
Northland,
91, 123, 125–27, 129–30, 151–52, 181
and PN9E, 123, 125–27, 141–42, 149, 151–52
Smith, Mont, 96, 98
Smith, Robert “WeeGee,”
335
, 344
and base camp, 247
and demobilization, 313, 314
and discovery, 315–17
and
Glacier Girl,
221, 274
and Hotsy, 221–22, 224, 255, 273–75, 280, 304–10,
312
, 314
and magnetometer, 275–76
melting at BW-1, 311–14, 334
Snublebluss, 197
South Pole, first flight over, 117
Spencer, Harry, 49–51,
50
,
237
, 340
and crash, 54
death of, 322–23
and Demorest’s fall in crevasse, 148, 149, 331
fall in crevasse, 67, 68–73,
70
, 90, 104, 127
flying in milk, 37–39, 50–51
injuries to, 53, 238
in later years, 321–23
leadership of, 105
at Motorsled Camp, 180, 184, 285, 322
and PN9E, 33,
34
and radio repairs, 109–10, 111
and rescue, 139–40, 146–47, 214–17, 232–33, 235,
236
, 297
return to Greenland, 322,
323
and search for C-53, 35, 36–37
and self-rescue motorsled attempt, 175–80
and survival, 58, 62, 63, 65–67, 74, 76, 90, 105, 122, 145, 155, 168–69, 172, 179–80, 184–85, 213, 214–17, 231
at White House, 318
Spencer, Patsy, 68, 216, 321
Spina, Paul,
64
,
288
, 340
and Best’s condition, 240–41, 257–59
and crash, 53, 55, 58, 74
death of, 325
and frostbite, 76, 169
injuries to, 55, 58, 59, 130, 138, 144, 180, 259
in later years, 325
“missing in action” telegram,
106
at Motorsled Camp, 285, 286–87
and PN9E, 33,
34
and prayers, 65
and rescue, 147, 148, 151, 239, 264–66, 284–85, 287–90, 294, 315
safe arrival of, 297
and search for C-53, 34, 37
and Spencer’s fall in crevasse, 71, 72
and survival, 58, 59, 60, 63, 74, 90, 110, 112, 121, 145, 155, 168, 176, 186, 211, 229–31, 235–40, 257–61
Springer, William, 21, 28, 29, 155, 178, 340
Storch, Marc, 166–67, 344
Strong, Harold, 215,
263
, 340
background of, 262–63
and rescue mission, 261, 265, 266, 285–87, 291
and trek to the coast, 291, 293
Sweetzer, P. W., 215, 233, 235, 338
Taub, Donald, 194, 344
Tetley, Donald, 171,
171
,
237
, 340
death of, 329
and Demorest, 25, 26
and Demorest’s fall in crevasse, 147–49, 151, 152
and hypothermia, 185
in later years, 329
Legion of Merit awarded to, 320
at Motorsled Camp, 180, 184, 285, 287
and motorsled rescue mission, 123–24, 136, 138, 141, 143–45, 146–47
and radio transmitter, 173, 174, 236
and rescue missions, 204, 206, 234, 235,
236
and search for McDowell’s C-53, 26, 27, 123
and self-rescue motorsled attempt, 175–80
and survival, 155, 168, 172, 179–80, 184–85, 187, 213, 214, 215–17
at White House, 318
Thuma, W. R. “Bil,” 222, 242, 300,
335
, 344
and flag locations, 255–56
and Hotsy move, 305, 308
and points of interest, 224, 269,
272
, 273, 282
Titanic,
16
Title 10 (Missing Persons Act), 162
Tucciarone, Alexander “Al,” 52,
52
, 341
and cargo drops, 121
and crash, 54
death of, 327
injuries to, 54, 142
in later years, 326–27, 328
and PN9E, 33,
34
, 37
and rescue, 139–42,
141
, 145, 156, 235, 297
and Spencer’s fall in crevasse, 72
and survival, 113, 114
Tucciarone, Peter, 327
Tucker, Rob,
335
, 344
and demobilization, 300, 301
on Duck Hunt mission, 227, 249, 267, 269, 308
Turner, Kenneth “Pappy,”
212
, 341
at Bluie East Two, 184, 210–11
and communications, 214, 216, 236–37, 239
death of, 328
Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to, 328
and Duck location, 152, 153, 176, 191, 194, 195
and rescue missions, 232, 261, 264, 287, 291
and supply drops, 173–74, 180, 184–85, 186, 208, 210–12, 213–16, 238, 258–60, 284, 286
UFOs (unidentified frozen objects), 299
United States:
entry into World War II, 16–17
treaty with Norway, 117
University of Kansas, CReSIS, 194
Vaughan, Norman, 100–101
Wade, Jimmie, 204–6, 341
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 235
warbirds, collectors of, 97–98
War Department, U.S., 209
warplanes, aluminum production for, 15
Waters, Nathan, 215, 289, 328, 338
Weaver, Arthur, 341
and crash landing, 80
and ferrying mission, 79
and frozen feet, 85
and hypothermia, 88–89
on
Northland,
124
rescue of, 83–90,
89
, 114, 127
and survival, 80–84, 89–90
traveling with dinghy, 82–86
Wedel, Clarence, 169–70,
169
, 341
and crash, 54
fall in crevasse, 177–79, 184, 212, 214, 274
Legion of Merit awarded to, 178
loss of, 297, 322, 331–32
mechanical repairs by, 109–10, 111, 112, 172–73, 179
and rescue, 148
and search for C-53, 33, 37
and self-rescue motorsled attempt, 175–77
and survival, 112, 155, 168, 172
Wedel, Helen, 170, 331
Wimsatt, Robert, 118, 207–9, 341
Women’s Army Corps, and rescue mission, 187
World War II:
aircraft lost in, 40
B-17s in, 30–32
Battle of the Atlantic, 208
blitzkrieg in, 14
and Coast Guard, 15, 93
and cryolite mine, 14–16
German surrender in, 318
Greenland in, 14–18, 40
and military personnel unaccounted for, 44, 97
news censored in, 188, 318
and overseas military gravesites, 97
Pearl Harbor attack in, 17
in Scandinavia, 117, 123
and Short Snorters, 108
and souvenir hunters, 96–98, 201
U.S. entry into, 16–17
U.S. neutrality in, 16
Yates, Erma Ray, 106
Zuckoff, Mitchell,
312
,
335
M
ITCHELL
Z
UCKOFF
is the author of
Lost in Shangri-La
, a
New York Times
bestseller and winner of the Winship/PEN New England Award. His previous books include
Robert Altman: The Oral Biography
and
Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend
. He has written for national and regional publications and is a former special projects reporter for the
Boston Globe
, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting. He is a professor of journalism at Boston University and lives outside Boston.
Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
Robert Altman: The Oral Biography
Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend
Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders
(with Dick Lehr)
Choosing Naia: A Family’s Journey