The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-11-24
By PETER EDISON
MA CAaff CnrreSDOuQen

NEA Staff Correspondent
BLUE WEST ONE, An Army.
Air Forces Base in Southern
Greenland, Nov. 23.-"MAN DY-
ING" That message, tramped IN
the snow of the Greenland ice cap
hv p survivor O. an Army plane
crash, prefaced one OF the b es t
rescue stories to come out OF the
far north during the war. .
The snow message led to one OF
tho most spectacular flying feats
Of the war, when 1t. H. P. Wurtz
Of South Pasadena, Calf, pilot OF
the rescue plane. won the distinc-
ton OF being probably the first
man in aviation history to land a
ski plane OF a dry, hard sur
faced and rocky runway, bringing
his plane end its precious cargo
in safely on a perfect landing. 1t
wasn't stunt. Wurtz knew what
he was doing and showed his fly
ING skill in doing what most pilots
would have considered an impos-
sible achievement He set another
record for the Army Air Forces
Search and Rescue Service I o r
which he flies.
Young Wurtz-he is only 23-is
tall. dark, quiet to the point OF
shvness, and bslding. He didn't
lose his hair by pulling it out in
worry over tight situations. He's
lust prematurelv that way. Nerve
less, he tells mis- story simply and
directly, with no show of emotion
and with every apparent indication
that this rescue flight OF his was
all in days work.
It was last October Z, but the full
story has just now been released
to group of newspaper men visit
ing North Atlantic bases OF the Air
Transport Command. A Douglas
CAT two engined transport plane,
military version of the planes COM
monty used by U. S. commercial
airlines, was or routine ferrying
flight from Goose Bay, Labrador,
to Iceland. There were seven men
aboard.
Over the tip Of southern Green
land, the plane developed engine
trouble. The pilot tried to return
the u miles to this BW-1 BLUE
West One-base, but couldn't make
it. One engine caught fire and the
ship went into a spiral. Four of the
men were able to bail out, but the
other three couldn't make it before
the plane crashed, killing one, in
flicting first degree burns and
shock to the third.
The plane had sent an sos to
BW-1 when it first encountered
difficulties, and it was seen to
crash by another plane in the same
flight. So the plane was never lost.
But it was three in the morning
end dark. Guided by the fire, the
four men who had parachuted to
safety were able to walk back over
the ice cap to the scene of the
clash. where they gave first aid
to their two surviving companions.
BW-1 had a rescue plane in the
cir within an hour after the crash
another CAT which located the
wreck. dropped seven rescue kits
and portable radio with instruc-
tons for use. The radio was dam
aged in the drop and before any
could be set up through ground
panel flags, that all important
message, MAN DYING" was
tramped in the snow and no other
message was important. The CAT,
being unable to land in the snow
itself. wagged its wings in ac-
acknowledgement and went back to
base.
There we're three possible cours-
es of action. There was no snow
Oh the ground at BW-1, so a ski
plane could not take off. There was
a chance of sending up little
Norseman plane, which has fixed
wheel landing gear, and CHANGING,
a landing on the snow. J
Second was the possibility Of
sending in a flying boat to land
Oh the water near the crash and
Put ashore a dog team to climb
the ice cap. Third was the posi-
bil;ty OF sending in dog team
from Cape Adalaer, 70 miles away.
They settled on the Norseman as
the quickest, and didn't take time
TO change to landing skis.
They got volunteer crew. Flight
Surgeon william A. Cannon, of
Pasadena, Calf, Sergeant Willie
Hcskins of Denver, and Wurtz.
They loaded medical supplies and
plenty of warm clothing, figuring
they might have to stay for sever
Ell days.
Wurtz landed the plane after a
run of about 80 feet in eight inch.
es to foot Of snow. The doctor
got the survivors in sleepings, bags
administered plasma and morphine
and they all went to sleep.
Wurtz went back to the plane
and tried to see what he could do
about digging out a runway for a
take off, but couldn't make it.
1t was $500 fee. altitude and the
plane didn't hsve the power to
move through tn e snow. That
night, Wurtz and the sergeant slept
in the plane to keep the wind
from blowing it away, as there
was no way to anchor it. The tenn.
perature was about IA above.
During the afternoon, little
two place Texan trainer plane