This book grabbed my attention from its very beginning.
The cover hails it as "A true story of survival, adventure and the most incredible rescue mission of World War II."
This book lives up to its billing and much more.
On May 13, 1945, a C-60 transport plane, called the Gremlin Special, carrying 24 members of the U.S. military set off on a sightseeing tour of a remote mountain valley on the island of New Guinea.
The pilot crashed into a mountain and only 3 passengers survived.
The tale tells how they hiked through dense forest (two had severe injuries and were suffering from gangrene) into the valley, made friends with the 'stone-age' natives and subsisted on daily rations that were parachuted into them.
Miraculously, the natives, presumed to be cannibals and warlike, thought they were incarnations of white sky gods who figure in their belief system. So, the natives refrained from harming them.
The rescue is effected by a brave group of Filipino-American paratroopers, who utilize gliders and a cargo plane with a big hook.
Once again, this book demonstrated the magic of a book leaping from the shelves as I walked through the library.
The book is an engrossing must read and is documented by extensive research.
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