The Lost Squadron: A True Story

by David Hayes

Book Overview

A lavishly illustrated work records the amazing reclamation of a fleet of American World War II warplanes buried in ice in Greenland since the war and recovered by two amateur aviation enthusiasts.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786860480
• ISBN13: 9780786860487
• Release Date: November 1994
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 2.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.9" x 11.3"

Customer Reviews

The Lost Squadron

This is a rare story of a true adventure in modern times. No reality-show pretend-drama here - this is real. Aviation enthusiasts will obviously love this book, but in terms of sheer adventure while searching the barren ice of Greenland, this story should captivate all. And oh-by-the-way, on the global warming topic, these aircraft were recovered in 1992 from over 250 feet of new ice! That's over five feet of new ice per year for the fifty-year period since they went missing during World War II. I'd like to see Al Gore explain all this new ice?

Fascinating True Story of Determination

Today, there are dozens of aircraft museums with beautifully restored warplanes. This book is just one of the stories of how those planes got there. Aircraft collection and restoration became popular in the early 1970's and 80's. It is an exclusive club that can afford the time, energy and money to do so. The story of the recovery of a P-38 from the deep ice in Greenland is told in The Lost Squadron. In 1942, Lockheed P-38's were flown to England over the Atlantic Ocean via Greenland and Iceland. This particular group of P-38's became lost, landed on the ice in Greenland. The crews were rescued, but the planes remained there....until 1981 when Pat Epps and Richard Taylor decided to rescue the planes as well. It took 12 years, dozens of people and millions of dollars to recover one P-38. Author David Hayes takes us through the story in this well written book that has many excellent color photos and diagrams to show how it was done. Finding the planes was hard enough - who would have thought they were buried under 260 feet of ice? Who would have persevered in trying to get these planes once you found out how deeply they were buried? Who gets the credit? How did they do this amazing technical feat in the harsh Artic conditions? I bought this book at first because I am a fan of the P-38 fighter. But this is a book about much more than an airplane. This is a fascinating tale of dedication, obsession and success against the odds. Highly recommended for all aviation buffs, those interested in aircraft restoration, and yes, P-38 fans.

The Lost Squadron: A fleet of Warplanes locked in ice for fifty years

A wounderfull book for the aeroplane enthusias and adventurer alike. Beautifully bound and presented with many colour photo's, paintings and diagrams. Updated with recent news of the star, "Glacier Girl" a P38 Lightening recovered from under 250 feet of snow and ice, restored to fly again.

Recovering a P38 Lightning from beneath 250 feet of ice and snow on the Greenland Icecap

In the early months of the US's involvment in WW2, a squadron of P38 Lightnings and 2 B17 "motherships" flying across the Atlantic via Greenland and Iceland were turned back by weather, ran out of fuel and landed on the Greenland icecap. The planes all landed safely and eventually the crew were rescued. The planes remained on the ice in virtually mint condition and eventually become something of a minor legend. In the 80's, a small group of warbird enthusiasts started attempts to locate and retrieve the aircraft. After many expeditions to the Icecap, they were successful, first in locating the aircraft (now buried under 250 feet of ice and snow) and then in tunneling down and recovering a B17 (badly crushed) and a P38 which was being restored to flying condition at the time this book was written. The author, David Hayes, has put together a riveting account, first of the loss of the aircraft and the recovery of the crews, and then of the expeditions to locate and finally recover the aircraft. There's a huge collection of photo's in this large format book, many of them color. And the story itself is fascinating, even for someone whose not particularly interested in the recovery of old WW2 aircraft. The way they tunneled down thru 250 feet of ice and snow to reach the aircraft and then dismantle it underground is almost worth a book of it's own. Well worth a read.

Recovery of Historic plane requires more than money

It started as a lark but became serious busines to some. New technology had to be invented and then transported to Greenland. This is an American adventure story, from the flight which left these planes on an ice cap to the recovery 50 years later. Everyone involved seem to have a different motive for recovering a P-38 but adventure seemed to be the glue. A good read about real people. More about the P-38 in combat in "THE LAST GREAT ACE."