Did you have ancestors that fought in World War II? Did any of them have stories that were heroic? Maybe they never talked about what happened. Maybe they were not supposed to talk about the things they did in case they endangered those who were part of helping. Here is one story that was to be kept secret so as to not endanger others.
While doing some research on Pearl Harbor I stumbled upon a story about a C-53 transport plane that crashed behind enemy lines and everyone aboard had a harrowing experience reaching safety. The plane had 13 medics, 13 flight nurses and four air crew headed to Bari, Italy from Sicily. Their objective was to move wounded soldiers to hospitals that were further away from the frontlines. What should have been a two hour flight turned into a nightmare that lasted weeks.
When they reached 8,000 feet the wings started to freeze.
For three days the flight had been grounded for bad weather. Finally, the clouds cleared and they took off. As they neared Bari, Italy storm clouds gathered again and the pilot decided to go above the clouds. However when they reached 8,000 feet the wings started to freeze. As the pilot descended he got disoriented and flew for three and half hours. When he finally saw a coastline he assumed it was the western coast of Italy and looked for a place to land. They saw what they thought was an abandoned airfield, but as they got closer that were shot at by German fighters. Once again they were looking for a place to land and this time they were out of fuel. They finally found a flat place after another hour, and they crash landed. No one was seriously injured but their trial was just beginning.
They were in Nazi occupied Albania.
Upon landing they were met by Albania resistance fighters who let them know they were in Nazi occupied Albania. The group was hidden in a nearby town until German forces got close. A British officer who was operating in the area was assigned to be a guide for the group, and later an American officer was sent to lead them out. Three nurses got separated early on but the rest of the group walked seven hours a day for the next two months. Sometimes they walked through snow that was knee deep. They even walked through a blizzard as they crossed the second highest mountain peak. They finally made it to the coast and were rescued on January 9, 1944.
Their journey would last five months.
The separated nurses also had a difficult journey. A wealthy Albanian family hid them in their basement and helped them escape disguised as civilians. Their journey would last five months and involved using donkeys to get over the mountains as well as a lot of walking. Their shoes were worn thin. They suffered from frostbite, hunger, dysentery, jaundice and pneumonia. The nurses arrived in Otranto, Italy March 21, 1944. They had hiked 800 miles.
Have you heard of this story? The resilience of people is amazing. You can find this story and more at Fold3 blogs. Our military through history has been brave and resilient. There are so many stories you can read and find out about. Maybe your family has stories that can now be shared. Does your family have any stories from military ancestors that have been shared?
If you need any help finding your ancestors, just let us know.
