RESCUED AT SEA

Downed Catalina crew survives the brutal North Sea

RACHEL MORRIS

IN THE COLD, crisp spring air at 18,000 feet on March 30, 1945, First Lt. Dan Meyers suddenly found himself flying in a cloud, in an otherwise blue and completely cloudless sky. The mysterious fog was generated by the engine failure of his P-51D Mustang 44-72328. With the shore of Northern Germany behind, and the Frisian Islands beneath his port wing, Meyers was forced to bail out and take his chances with the uninviting mass of the North Sea. After checking that his dinghy and Mae West were in position, he pushed himself out into the biting slipstream, narrowly avoiding his Mustang’s tail. From under his chute, he watched his aircraft spiral down and crash into the heavy swell of the rough sea. When he too hit the water, the…

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Flight Journal (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2024

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