Eddie Rickenbacker

Edward Vernon (Eddie) Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890-July 27, 1973) was an American fighter pilot who flew in World War I. He was born Edward Rickenbacher in Columbus, Ohio to Swiss immigrants.

World War II

Initially opposed to entering World War II, Rickenbacker supported the war effort once the United States committed to entry. In 1942, he toured training bases in the southwestern United States and in England. In October 1942, he was sent on a tour of the Pacific theater. After visiting bases in Hawaii, the B-17 Rickenbacker was flying in went off course hundreds of miles from its first scheduled stop at Canton Island. The pilot ditched the plane in the Pacific.

Related Topics:
1942 - Hawaii - B-17 - Canton Island

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The crew's food supply ran out after three days. On the eighth day a seagull landed on Rickenbacker's head. The bird became dinner and fishing bait. The Army Air Corps, unable to find them, intended to abandon the lost crew after searching unsuccessfully for more than two weeks, but Rickenbacker's wife convinced them to extend the search another week.

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Navy pilots rescued the crew, suffering from exposure, dehydration and starvation, on November 13, 1942. They had been lost 24 days.

Related Topics:
Exposure - Dehydration - Starvation - November 13 - 1942

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