‘Frozen in Time’ tells story of survival
A true World War II story of danger and bravery – incredible bravery – of men who were primarily in the business of rescuing fliers and other US military around and on the island of Greenland.
One night two men on board a Coast Guard cutter off Greenland were roused from sleep to board a single plane or, as they called it, their “flying boat”; a single three blade propeller plane called the Duck– about the size of a school bus – to rescue a downed cargo plane.
Greenland – a beautiful island – about three times the size of France – is made of ice and snow sometimes thirty or forty feet deep – (crevasses there often have an unknowable depth) and has the lowest density of population of any country that large. The weather is so changeable it can completely obscure the landscape as well as be unbelievably, painfully cold. All airmen in their early years there know the axiom “you have to go out – but you don’t have to come back.” Eighty-three thousand planes went missing in World War II.
The author conveys the sensation the men felt – three different planes went down among Greenland’s mountains while they were there – 148 days of it; the bitter cold; the lack of visibility, the hunger; the closeness as they wait the winter out for rescue. One short walk the men took ended in the death of one of them (the crevasses are often not visible, their depth unknowable). Summer days were only 4 or 5 hours long – otherwise the men were stuck in their tent. The author conveys the isolation, the companionship of these few men – one of whom was losing his feet to the cold. Supplies were being dropped but no way could the men themselves be picked up until spring. They suffered severely; some came close to suicide, but they persevered bravely. – the author conveys their lonely condition so expressively; with humor and spareness. In an environment without tools (often without food), the men came up with ingenious ways to create their shelter; pass the time and survive their loneliness . The author clearly has great respect and affection for the various men from 1942 – at times some of the passages are almost novel-like although the passages are for real (the author’s notes assure the reader of this authenticity).
There are pictures of each of the men and finally after they are rescued in spring of that year, the author tells of the honors they were given and how they lived the rest of their lives.
There is a parallel story recounted in every other chapter – headed various months in 2012 – as the others are dated in 1942. This recounts the author and various other people’s attempt – it took over a year – to finance and plan a trip to Greenland to find the Duck, buried deep in the ground.. After the men who have spent the winter there are rescued, the story relates the contemporary trip to find the Duck – long buried. Money-raising; battles with the plutocracy and diplomacy finally over, (this took years) supplies bought, the group including the author, travels to Greenland, and, almost their last day there, find the Duck – buried deep – and determine to return.
Each of the men of 1942 are given brief later biographies, their honors listed. Zuckoff is a gifted writer, bringing the reader close to the men and their situation and close to the vast coldness and beauty that is Greenland.
Book info:
Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff
HarperCollins, $28.99
Posted by Rae Eastman
on July 25, 2013. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Book Reviews,Columns,Opinion.
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