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81 Days Below Zero by Brian Murphy

81 Days Below Zero

The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness

Brian Murphy

Grand Central Publishing · Print & ebook · March 1, 2016

"A riveting...saga of survival against formidable odds" (Washington Post) about one man who survived a World War II plane crash in Alaska's harsh Yukon territory Shortly before Christmas in 1943, five Army aviators left Alaska's Ladd Field on a routine flight to test their hastily retrofitted B-24 Liberator in harsh winter conditions.

Survival StoriesWorld War II HistoryMilitary AviationHistory
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BiographySurvivalAdventureWorld War II
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Who it’s for
A survival story with wartime stakes, Arctic hardship, and a plainspoken pull.
Genres
Survival Stories, World War II History, Military Aviation
Published
Grand Central Publishing, March 1, 2016

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For younger readers: Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, Unbroken (the Young Adult Adaptation), Far North

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About this book

"A riveting...saga of survival against formidable odds" (Washington Post) about one man who survived a World War II plane crash in Alaska's harsh Yukon territory Shortly before Christmas in 1943, five Army aviators left Alaska's Ladd Field on a routine flight to test their hastily retrofitted B-24 Liberator in harsh winter conditions. The mission ended in a crash that claimed all but one-Leon Crane, a city kid from Philadelphia with no wilderness experience.

Continue reading

With little more than a parachute for cover and an old Boy Scout knife in his pocket, Crane found himself alone in subzero temperatures. 81 Days Below Zero recounts, for the first time, the full story of Crane's remarkable twelve-week saga.

Frozen Stakes

A survival story with wartime stakes, Arctic hardship, and a plainspoken pull.

Come here for

  • a stark survival story
  • World War II flight and frozen-wilderness ordeal

Expect

  • tense endurance over easy heroics
  • history that reads with narrative urgency

Where it sits

Survival Stories58%
World War II History50%
Military Aviation29%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Military Lives
  • World War II History
Authors
Brian Murphy
Publisher
Grand Central Publishing
Published
March 1, 2016
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Military Lives