Evening star., 1944-11-17
BY w. H. SHIPPEN, Jr..
Aviation Editor OF The Star.


BASE, GREENLAND, Nov. IT,
Tales of heroism salted with humor
help to relieve the tedium of long
winter nights here while northern
lights play over the encirclng
mountains and soldiers gather about
their barracks stoves for company.
How 1t. Howard p. Wurtz, "a,
Pasadena, Calf, and his volunteers
landed on the treacherous ice cap
to bring down crew of stranded
airmen, including one man believed
to be dying, is still fresh in the
minds OF men who know from ex-
perience the peril they faced to save
lives.
Early on the morning of last
October 8, a transport bound from
Newfoundland to Iceland encoun-
tered engine trouble over the
southern tip df Greenland. Unable
to reach this base, the crew radioed
thefr position as the plane lost alti-
tude and went into spiral with an
engine In flames. -
Oue Of CTeW AuAe0.
Four men had time to bail out,
some clinging to the parachute
harness they were unable to buckle
about them, and three went down
with the plane. One was killed and
another seriously burned.
At 4 am. rescue plane left this
base, found the party on the ice
cap after daylight and dropped
emergency supplies. 1t. Wurtz saw
one man had tramped out mes
sage In the snowman dying. He
returned here to consult with Capt.
Joseph A. Burns, "a, another Cali
fornian, who is chief of search and
rescue at the base.
It was decided 1t. Wurtz would
return in a cabin plane and attempt
q wheel landing on the ice cap,
floored with crevasses and rough ice
at that point, some $500 feet above
sea level Volunteers were asked for.
A dozen men stepped forward, but
Capt. William A. Cannon, medical
omcer, another Pasadenan, and
Master Sergt. Willie Hoskins, Dem
YER, Colo, were selected because of
special qualifications.
They carried enough equipment
to remain on the ice cap until dog
teams could come in some 70 miles
from the coast in event the plane
cracked up in landing. 1t. Wurtz
stalled the plane into some IL inches
OF snow and halted it in $50 feet.
Plasma Is Administered.
The men on the ice cap were suf-
fering from cold and shock and had
been unable to put up tents dropped
to them a few hours previously.
Capt. Cannon administered plasma
to the gravely injured man, while
the others were made comfortable
and given warm food.
1t. Wurtz and Sergt. Hoskins tried
to dig pathway for the plane.
They were fatigued by heavy work
in the cold at that altitude, how
ever, and realized they could never
get away on wheels.
Meanwhile, Capt. Burns was fiy-
ing cover for the party on the ice
cap. 1t. Wurtz asked him by radio
tc get . set Of skis for his plane,
along with jacks and necessary
tools. These were dropped a few
hours later.
It was getting dark and the lieu
tenant and sergeant slept in the
plane to be ready to try to save 1t
should the wind increase.
They resumed the heart-breaking
work at daylight and in six hours
had installed the skis and broken
q short trail ahead of the ship.
Meanwhile . training plane had
been fitted with skis In addition
to wheels at the base here. 1t.
Neal %. Bartlett, also Of California.
landed nearby and hauled out one
man on each Of three trips.
The litter case required the larger
plane, and the surgeon informed 1t.
Wurtz as darkness approached he
feared the airmAn would die Of
pneumonia II he spent another
night on the ice cap. He determined
to make the try and got Oh on his
0AB ~ ain.
# had been planned to land an
amphibian on . nearby lake to
meet 1t. Wurtz, who would come in
on the bordering ice, as there was
no snow for his skis on the run
ways here.
The rescue Ply would carry !
boat for transferring the injured
|airman.
Lands O Dry Runway.
1t Wurtz could not find smooth
spot On the ice, however. After
consultation BY radio, he decided to
land On the dry airport on skis. He
hit the gravel alongside the c6ncrete
runway after stalling tias plane