Final Flight: The Mystery of a WW II Plane Crash and the Frozen Airmen in the High Sierra PDF
Preview Final Flight: The Mystery of a WW II Plane Crash and the Frozen Airmen in the High Sierra
Praise for Final Flight “Stekel has breathed warm life into these long-lost World War II airmen who disappeared while on a training mission in 1942 … [he] skillfully weaves the crew’s fate in these rugged mountains with his own quest to unravel the mystery.” —Eric Blehm, bestselling author of The Last Season, The Only Thing Worth Dying For and Molly the Owl “Peter Stekel has captured the history, geography, and the mystery surrounding this inspiring tale of the High Sierra.” —G. Pat Macha, author of Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California “This book will make you proud of America and proud of mountaineers.” —William Alsup, author of Missing in the Minarets and Such a Landscape! “Final Flight is a thoroughly enjoyable read, a detective story [that] combines classic investigative reporting with a personal love of the mountains …” —Douglas H. Clark, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Geology Department, Western Washington University “Peter Stekel’s search for the cause of the crash of four ill-fated WWII airmen leads to … [an] invigorated appreciation of the dedication of the men and women of the Greatest Generation and … those who gave their life in service of their country.” —Michael Sledge, author of Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen “Among the wildest places on earth, the remote and isolated Sierra Nevadas hold secrets from the past that only now are being discovered.” —Karen F. Taylor-Goodrich, Superintendent, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks “Those who love the high country will find this a fascinating read.” —William Tweed, coauthor of Challenge of the Big Trees: A Resource History of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks FINAL FLIGHT: The Mystery of a WWII Plane Crash and the Frozen Airmen in the High Sierra 1st EDITION 2010 Copyright © 2010 by Peter Stekel Front cover photo and frontispiece copyright © 2010 by Peter Stekel Maps: Lohnes + Wright Cover design: Steve Sullivan, STEVECO International; Larry B. Van Dyke Book design: Larry B. Van Dyke Book editor: Julie Van Pelt ISBN 978-0-89997-475-0 Manufactured in United States of America Published by: Wilderness Press Keen Communications P.O. Box 43673 Birmingham, AL 35243 (800) 443-7227 www.wildernesspress.com Visit our website for a complete listing of our books and for ordering information. Distributed by Publishers Group West Main cover photo: Aerial view from about 15,000 feet of Mount Darwin and Mount Mendel, from the northeast. Frontispiece: Mendel Glacier. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stekel, Peter. Final flight: the mystery of a WWII plane crash and the frozen airmen in the High Sierra / Peter Stekel. -- 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-89997-475-0 (pbk.) 1. Aircraft accidents--Investigation--Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.) 2. World War, 1939-1945--Missing in action--United States. 3. Missing persons--Investigation--Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.) 4. Airmen-- United States--History--20th century. 5. Beechcraft 18 (Airplanes) I. Title. TL553.525.C2S74 2010 363.12’4650979487--dc22 2010007775 W hen I was twelve years old I went away to summer camp in the High Sierra. My mother was fond of saying that I never came back. This book is dedicated to her. Contents Prologue Chapter 1 A Body in the Glacier Chapter 2 Home from the Mountain Chapter 3 Who Is the Frozen Airman? Chapter 4 The More I Know, the Less I Know Chapter 5 Playing Detective Chapter 6 First Discovery: 1947 Chapter 7 What Was Recovered: 1948 Chapter 8 The Frozen Airman Is Identified Chapter 9 The Frozen Airman Is Not Alone: August 2007 Chapter 10 My Report Chapter 11 On the Trail of the Second Airman Chapter 12 Understanding the Beech 18 AT-7 Navigator Chapter 13 The Boys Chapter 14 Their Training Chapter 15 They Weren’t the Only Ones Chapter 16 It Rained Cats and Dogs All Day Chapter 17 Carried by Flight: A Scenario for Disaster Chapter 18 East to West: A More Probable Scenario Chapter 19 Please Remember Me References Acknowledgments
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