8l Days Below Zero: the Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska’s Frozen Wilderness, by Brian Murphy, Da Capo Press, 2015
By Sheila Orysiek
SAN DIEGO — Lewis and Sonia Crane immigrated from Tsarist Russia to the United States in 1913, leaving behind the terrors of the vicious pogroms and restrictions against the Jewish population of the country. They settled down in West Philadelphia which was then a fairly new suburban area of the city. The family was religiously observant; celebrating the Jewish holidays and the Bar Mitzvahs of their three sons. The two eldest, despite quotas against Jewish students in many universities, became medical doctors. The youngest studied aeronautical engineering–he was entirely captivated by air planes and flying; becoming a pilot in the Army Air Corps.
All three sons served in the United States military during World War II; one in the war in the Pacific, another in Europe and the third, Leon, as a test pilot in a remote air base in Alaska. This base was one of the strategic points where American equipment – such as air planes – were handed over to the Russians to aid their war effort. Before each plane changed ownership, it was re-painted with the Russian red star and thoroughly tested in flight.
During one of these test flights, Lt. Crane’s plane spun out of control and crashed in the Alaskan wilderness shortly before Christmas Day in 1943. Lt. Crane was the only survivor, but his ordeal had just begun. Winter in the forests of Alaska are brutal, with the temperature seldom reaching up to zero. Having spent his life in Philadelphia, except for the minimal survival training provided by the USAAC, Crane was not prepared for the environment in which he now found himself.
The first rule for survival was to remain at the crash site and wait for rescue. However, after parachuting out he had landed at a distance away with no idea of where the plane had crashed. Though he was basically unhurt, he was also completely unprepared, not even having gloves. For the first nine days he had no food. Miraculously, he stumbled upon a half ruined cabin which had been stocked with basic supplies. But, if Crane hoped to find safety he could not remain in the cabin. He began walking through the deep snow following the course of a river which he hoped would take him to some sort of inhabited camp. In all, he spent eighty one days in this deadly environment.
As time went by military and civilian search and rescue efforts were suspended; the crash site was never located. Crane was reported as missing and presumed dead to his family.
The story of his experience is riveting but too brief to fill out the 218 pages of the book. Thus the author includes a great deal of information about the history of flight and its impact on Alaska. This additional information does make for interesting reading, but has little direct impact on the outcome of Crane’s experience.
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Orysiek is a freelance writer who specializes in arts and literature. She may be contacted via sheila.orysiek@sdjewishworld.com. Any comments in the space below should be signed with the writer’s full name and city and state of residence, or city and country for non-U.S. residents.