The Most Impossible Survival Story of WWII

The Most Impossible Survival Story of WWII WWII survival, Fred Hargesheimer, P-38 Lightning, New Britain, Japanese-occupied territory, and behind-enemy-lines survival tell one of the extraordinary survival stories of World War II. On June 5, 1943, American pilot Fred Hargesheimer was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission over Japanese-held New Britain. He parachuted into the jungle. And disappeared. For 31 days, he survived alone. His supplies were running out. He had to find food and remain hidden in territory controlled by Japanese forces. Then, on the thirty-first day, local people found him. But they didn't hand him over. They took care of him and hid him from Japanese patrols for months. Eventually, Australian personnel helped connect him with a rescue operation, and Hargesheimer was brought out aboard the submarine USS Gato in February 1944. The Library of Congress preserves Hargesheimer's firsthand oral-history collection, including his recollections of the crash, jungle survival, discovery, and rescue. Forgotten War Files — The stories of war that history almost forgot. #WWII #WorldWar2 #FredHargesheimer #P38Lightning #WW2History #PacificWar #MilitaryHistory #WWIISurvival #ForgottenWarFiles #SurvivalStory #TrueStory #History #WWIIDocumentary #MilitaryHistory #TrueSurvivalStory Fred Hargesheimer Fred Hargesheimer WWII WWII survival story WWII survival P-38 pilot survival P-38 Lightning pilot New Britain WWII Japanese occupied New Britain WWII pilot survival behind enemy lines WWII 31 days jungle survival American pilot shot down WWII WWII escape story Pacific War survival Japanese occupied territory downed pilot WWII Army Air Forces WWII 8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron Australian Coastwatchers USS Gato forgotten WWII stories impossible survival stories WWII documentary military history documentary