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81 Days Below Zero

Page 24

by Brian Murphy


  Charley River (Alaska)

  Chief Charley and, 102

  Crane in relation to, 33, 50, 64, 65, 95–96, 103, 131, 173, 179

  military forensic investigation of crash sites near, 110

  mining and, 133–135

  Charley River valley, 25

  Chena River (Alaska), 100

  Chief Charley, 102

  Chinook winds, 172

  Churchill, Winston, 119

  Circle (Alaska), 190

  Civilians in war, 54–55

  Clear-air turbulence, 17

  CL-4S biplane, 57

  Coal Creek (Alaska), 133, 134, 186, 189

  Cobrastochkkas (P-39 Airacobra fighter), 120

  Cold, extreme

  clothing for, 92

  physical effects of, 34–35, 89–90

  Cold Nose Boys, 12, 13–14, 45, 92–93, 121

  Cold Weather Test Detachment, 12–13, 14

  Colony Glacier, 154

  C-124 cargo plane crash, 113, 154

  Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, 57, 58, 85

  Copper Creek (Alaska), 33

  Corvette escort ships, 55

  Crane, Bill, 212, 215–216

  Crane, Leon, 2

  at Ames’s cabin, 177–184

  at Berail’s cabin, 96, 97–107, 129–131, 139–141

  care of hands, 129–130

  childhood, 7, 8, 80–83

  college career, 7, 83–84

  crash of Iceberg Inez, 20–23

  death of, 215

  decision to head downstream after crash, 32–33

  desire to set parents’ mind to rest, 135–136

  discovery of Ames’s cabin, 175–176

  dream of Hoskin, 87–88

  early interest in aviation, 81, 83

  encounter with John Hoskin, 217–218

  envisioning own death, 92–93

  falling through ice, 144–145, 148–150, 168–169

  father’s letter, 9, 25–26

  fire building, 35–36, 149

  first camp while waiting for rescue, 36

  first days hiking out, 88, 90–92, 93–96

  food and supplies at Berail’s cabin, 97–99, 106–107

  frostbite dangers and, 88

  in “hibernation,” 71–72

  hiking out after leaving Berail’s cabin, 141–145, 148–152

  hope for Hoskin’s survival, 32

  hunger and, 33–34, 61–62, 63, 64, 89–90, 106

  hunting, 65–68, 131–132, 151, 175

  ice-break and, 139–140

  immediate aftermath of crash and, 23–26

  job as copilot, 15

  last leg of hike, 165–166, 167–170, 171–172, 173–176

  leave home, 213–214

  making fire the first night, 25–26

  marriage, 214–215

  matches and, 11, 24

  media coverage of survival, 3, 197

  military flight training, 84–85

  odds of rescue, 27–30

  oral history, 215

  orienting self after crash, 64–65

  parachuting out of plane, 21–23

  planning for survival, 64–65

  planning to hike out from Berail’s cabin, 130–131, 132–133, 135–136, 137, 141

  as poker player, 5–6, 7

  postmilitary career, 215

  preparation for flight, 8–16

  P-63 test flight, 214

  religious upbringing, 63

  report on crash, 200–201

  return to Ladd Field, 191, 193–197, 213

  routine flight of Iceberg Inez and, 17–19

  second cabin stay, 151–152, 169–170

  sense of time and, 63

  Soviets at Ladd Field and, 121–122

  stay in Woodchopper, 185–191

  supply sledge and, 137, 141, 142, 145, 148, 168–169

  survivor’s guilt and, 217–218

  takeoff, 16–17

  visit with Berail, 188–189, 190–191

  wilderness education of, 71–72

  winds and, 144, 171, 174

  Crane, Louis, 9, 135

  auction company, 74–75, 82

  immigration of, 77, 79, 80

  life in West Philadelphia, 82–83

  notification of Leon’s crash, 74

  notification that son still missing, 152

  Crane, Miriam, 215–216

  Crane, Morris, 75, 82, 83, 217

  Crane, Nathan, 75, 80, 83

  Crane, Sonia

  belief Leon still alive, 93

  immigration of, 77, 79, 80

  Leon and image of mother mourning, 135

  life in West Philadelphia, 82

  notification of Leon’s crash, 74–75

  Crane, Wilma (Koehrsen), 214–215, 217

  “The Cremation of Sam McGee” (Service), 167

  Cygnet (kite), 211

  da Vinci, Leonardo, 94

  Davis, David R., 58–59

  Dawson City (Alaska), 133

  Dead Horse Trail, 167

  de Havilland, Olivia, 127

  Demianenko, Constanta P., 43

  Denali (Alaska), 91

  DNA matching, to identify Hoskin remains, 204–205

  Dotson’ Sa, 172–173

  Dredging, for gold, 134

  Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base, Japanese assault on, 43–47

  Earhart, Amelia, 83

  East India Company, 159

  Edison, Thomas, 78

  Eielson, Carl Ben (“Arctic Lindbergh”), 39–40

  Elevator controls, 20–21

  Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 69–71

  English, Norman, 76

  Fairbanks, Charles W., 101

  Fairbanks (Alaska)

  as air hub, 41

  establishment of, 100–102

  Soviet airmen and, 122–124

  as transit point during World War II, 12

  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (newspaper), 41, 216

  Feathering tests, 14, 19

  Ferri, Gino, 90

  Feynman, Richard, 83–84

  Fire extinguisher, on board plane, 16

  Fitzgerald, T. A., 152

  Fleet, Reuben, 58

  Flyer (biplane), 210–211

  Fokker F.III, 181

  Ford Motor Company, 56

  Fort Mears (Alaska), 44

  Fort Myers (Virginia), 210

  45th Infantry Division, 136

  Fort Yukon (Alaska), 31, 51, 180

  Foster, Stephen, 121

  Fox, Gregory L., 109, 110, 113

  Frank, Gerold, 112

  Franklin, John, 146

  Frostbite, 34–35, 88–89

  Gable, Clark, 55–56

  Gabor, Zsa Zsa, 112

  Gaffney, Dale, 42

  Garland, Judy, 112

  General Motors, 122

  George VI, 31

  German POWs in Maine, 161–162

  G-forces, crash of Iceberg Inez and, 20, 21

  Gilmore, Tom, 100–101

  Gold belt, 173

  Gold mining, Alaskan, 100–102, 133–135, 173

  deaths incurred during, 166–167

  decline of, 188

  The Gold Rush (film), 166

  Great Raven, 172–173

  Grinnell, Dick, 191

  Grinnell, Willard, 188, 191, 194–195

  Gros, Bill, 59, 202–203

  Grumman Duck, 113

  Guadalcanal, 52

  Haggland, Pete, 41

  Hammett, Dashiell, 126–127

  Hangar I (Ladd Field),
11, 13

  Soviet side of, 117, 121

  Hanukkah, 63, 64

  Harding, Warren G., 42

  Harland and Wolff shipyards, 55

  Harper, Arthur, 91

  Harper, Walter, 91

  Hellman, Lillian, 126, 127

  Herodotus, 111

  Hibernation, 71–72

  Hickam Air Force Base (Hawaii), 153–155, 162–163

  Hiebert, Augie, 42

  Hiroshima, 158

  Holland, Thomas D., 205

  Horan, James D., 112

  Horse packer, 181

  Hoskin, Harold, 152

  burial ceremony, 207–210, 211–212

  Crane dream of, 87–88

  crash of Iceberg Inez and, 20–23

  description of B-24 Liberator, 157

  forensic investigation, 153, 154–155, 163, 199–200, 203–205

  Iceberg Inez takeoff and, 16–17

  identification of remains, 199–200, 203–205

  letters to wife, 160–161, 208–209

  parents’ reaction to crash news, 156

  as pilot of B-24D Liberator, 11

  preparation for flight, 13–16

  routine flight of Iceberg Inez and, 17–19

  search for remains, 110, 112–113

  Hoskin, Joann, 160, 161, 162, 199

  father’s burial and, 207–209, 211–212

  Hoskin, John, 155, 157–160

  brother’s burial and, 207, 211

  encounter with Crane, 217–218

  identification of brother’s remains, 199, 205

  Hoskin, Mary (Harold’s wife)

  German POWs in Maine and, 161–162

  letters to and from husband, 160–161, 208–209

  life after husband’s death, 217

  notification husband missing, 76

  refusal to accept idea husband would not return, 155–156, 161, 162

  Hoskin, Mary (John’s wife), 199, 205, 207, 211, 217–218

  Hunger

  Crane and, 33–34, 61–62, 63, 64, 89–90, 106

  physical effects of, 33–34, 62–63

  Hypothermia, eating snow and, 61

  Ice, perils of, 144–145, 147, 148–150

  Iceberg Inez (B-24D no. 42–40910), 11

  contemporary investigation of crash site, 53–54, 59–60, 109–110, 112–114

  crash of, 20–23

  discovery of crash site, 213

  initial report on crash/search results, 115–117

  letter to families regarding crash, 152

  production of, 85

  reasons for crash, 200–203

  routine flight of, 17–19

  search for crash site, 37–39, 50–51

  takeoff, 16–17

  Ice-break, 139–140

  Iditarod Trail, 133

  Italy, Allied progress in, 136, 183

  Jacobs Radial L-4 engine, 41

  Japan

  assault on Dutch Harbor, 43–47

  attacks on Alaska, 11–12, 43–47, 49–50

  attacks on Attu and Kiska, 49–50

  surrender, 158

  US occupation of, 159

  Jefford, Jack, 122

  Jewish anarchists, 79

  JLB (cold-weather survivor), 34

  Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), 110–112

  Hoskin investigation, 199–200

  investigation of B-24 wreckage, 153–155, 163

  Jones, Etta, 49

  Jones, Stuart “Slim,” 82

  Jordan, Arthur, 51, 93, 121, 195, 197

  Jordan, George Racey, 119–120, 121

  JPAC. See Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC)

  Kalb, Bernard, 127

  Kandik River (Alaska), 102

  Karagodskys, 77, 79. See also Crane, Louis; Crane, Sonia

  Kawasaki, 55

  Keillor, Russell, 191, 196

  KFAR (radio station), 124

  Kinney, Jeremy, 200

  The Kiri Leaf Falls (play), 49

  Kiska (Alaska), Japanese attack and control of, 49–50

  Knights of Liberty, 79

  Kodiak Island, 48

  Koehrsen, Wilma, 197, 214–215, 217

  Kontanis, Elias J., 204

  Korean War, 111

  Koyukuk (Alaska), 41

  Krueger, Hans, 162

  Krupp, 55

  Ladd Field (Alaska)

  celebration of holidays at, 64

  Cold Weather Test Detachment, 12–13, 14

  Crane’s return to, 191, 193–197

  defense of Dutch Harbor and, 45

  Ragle at, 42–43

  Soviet presence at, 117–118, 120–122

  Thanksgiving menu, 64

  underground tunnels, 5, 11

  Laddon, Isaac Machlin (I. M.), 57–59, 84

  Larrey, Dominique Jean, 89

  Lavelle Young (stern-wheeler), 100

  Lend-Lease program, 117–122

  Soviets in Fairbanks and, 122–124

  tradecraft conspiracies and, 123–124

  Lindbergh, Charles “Lucky,” 81

  The Line (red-light district), 122

  Lockheed, 12

  London, Jack, 71

  Lubin, Siegmund, 78

  “Luck Saved Crane in Arctic Fields; City Flier, Foodless Nine Days, Found Cabin with Stock of Provisions” (newspaper article), 197

  “Lung frosting,” 9

  Lupo, Francis, 111

  Manhattan Project, 123

  Marks, Jack, 45, 46–47, 48

  Marshall Islands, 136

  Martin, James, 39

  Martin, Lily, 39

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Crane at, 7, 83–84

  Mawson, Douglas, 145–148

  McAndrews, J. J., 183

  McGee, William Samuel, 167

  McGill University, 57

  McGovern, Joseph, 76

  McIntosh, Mary Roberta, 160. See also Hoskin, Mary (Harold’s wife)

  McPhee, John, 217

  McRae, Alexander, 133–134

  Medical Journal of Australia, 146

  Mein Kampf (Hitler), 56

  Mental acuity, starvation and loss of, 89–90

  Mertz, Xavier, 146

  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 40

  MIA. See Missing in action (MIA)

  Midnight Sun (newspaper), 120

  Military aviation, 40

  advances in, 55, 57–59

  cold weather testing in Alaska, 12–13, 14

  Flyer test flight, 210–211

  Military forensics. See Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC)

  “Million Dollar Valley,” 119

  Mind, effect of starvation on, 62–63

  Missing in action (MIA)

  identification of remains, 154

  JPAC and, 111–112

  telegrams notifying families, 75–76

  in World War II, 2, 112

  MIT. See Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

  Mitochondrial DNA, 204–205

  Mitsubishi, 55

  Monroe, Rose Will, 56–57

  Monsen, “Big Money,” 41

  Moreland, Ben, 194–195

  Mount Athos (Greece), 1, 3

  Mount Gannett (Alaska), 154

  Mount Harper (Alaska), 91

  Mount McKinley (Alaska), 91

  Myers, David, 209, 216

  Myers, Ethel, 209, 212

  Myrtle Creek (Alaska), 41

  Nakajima reconnaissance aircraft, 46

  Nanuk (schooner), 40

  Nash, Charlotte, 81

  Nature
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  Native tribes’ understanding of, 68–69

  transcendentalists’ understanding of, 69–71

  Nautilus (submarine), 126

  Neuberger, Richard L., 123

  Nigro, Frank, 120

  Ninnis, Belgrave, 146

  Nixon-Nirdlinger, Frederick G., 80–81

  Noonan, Fred, 83

  Northern migration of southern blacks, 7–8

  Northwest Passage, 70

  Noyes, Irene, 123

  One Drop of Blood (Holland), 205

  Osgood, Cornelius, 130, 145

  Pacific theater, Allied success in, 136

  Patriot Guard Riders, 212

  Patty, Dale, 190

  Patty, Ernest Newton, 133–134, 189

  Pavlova, Anna, 146

  PBY Catalina, 57, 58

  Pearl Harbor, attack on, 42, 84, 118

  P-40 Warhawk fighters, 46

  Phi Beta Delta, 83

  Philadelphia

  Crane’s childhood in, 7, 8, 80–83

  migration of southern blacks to, 7–8

  Russian Jewish immigrants in, 76–80

  Philadelphia Record (newspaper), 214

  Pickrell’s Solution, 35

  Pinchuk, Iurii, 85

  Pioneer Air Museum (Fairbanks, Alaska), 41

  Pompeo, Anna, 197

  Pompeo, Richard, 152

  building at Ladd Field in honor of, 216

  crash and, 21, 22, 23

  flight preparation and, 16

  previous rescue of, 31, 117

  still missing in action, 113, 200, 209

  Poon Lim, 31

  Pratt & Whitney, 12

  Prinz Adalbert (steamship), 76, 77

  Propaganda

  B-24 and, 55–56

  dropped on Attu, 49

  P-63 Kingcobra, 214

  Psychological Warfare Teams (US Army), 49

  Psychology of survival, 145–148

  P-39 Airacobra fighter, 15, 120, 122

  P-36 fighter, 34

  Rabies, wolves and, 143

  Ragle, Jane, 42, 125

  Ragle, John, 125

  Ragle, R. C. (Richard Charles)

  call to active duty, 42–43

  defense of Dutch Harbor and, 45–48

  family life, 124–125

  Iceberg Inez search and, 38–39, 50–51

  premilitary career, 39–42

  report on crash/search results, 115–117

  search for Demianenko and, 43

  Rauscher, Manfred, 84, 94

  The Raven, 172–173

  Red squirrels, 65–68, 131

  Rice, Bob, 191, 193–195, 216

  Roadhouses, Alaskan, 185–188

  Rockwell, Norman, 56

  Rolvaag, Ole, 144

  Roosevelt, Franklin D., 51, 52

  Roosevelt, Theodore, 101

  Rosie the Riveter, 56–57

  Russian Jewish immigrants in Philadelphia, 76–80

  Russian Officers’ Club, 120

  Saturday Evening Post (magazine), 56, 132

  Scud (clouds), 18

 

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