Lost In The Pacific <Firefox>

: Most supplies were lost during the crash; the men were left with only four oranges. For 24 days, they battled dehydration, starvation, and exposure to the sun.

: After three weeks at sea, the group began to separate their rafts to increase the chances of being spotted. A Navy patrol plane finally rescued Rickenbacker's group on November 13, 1942. Only one crew member, Sergeant Alexander Kaczmarczyk, did not survive the ordeal. Book: Lost in the Pacific, 1942 by Tod Olson Lost in the Pacific

This book is the first in the "Lost" series and is highly recommended for readers who enjoy dramatic, well-researched survival history. : Most supplies were lost during the crash;

: They survived by catching rainwater and eating small fish or birds. In one famous instance, a seagull landed on Rickenbacker's head, which he caught and used for both food and bait. A Navy patrol plane finally rescued Rickenbacker's group

: Eight men—including Rickenbacker, his aide, and a five-man crew—scrambled into three small inflatable rafts.

On October 21, 1942, during World War II, a B-17 Flying Fortress carrying Colonel Eddie Rickenbacker on a secret fact-finding mission for the Pentagon strayed hundreds of miles off course. Unable to find their refueling stop at Canton Island, the crew was forced to ditch the plane in a remote part of the Central Pacific.