: They survived by catching rainwater and eating small fish or birds. In one famous instance, a seagull landed on Rickenbacker's head, which he caught and used for both food and bait.
: Eight men—including Rickenbacker, his aide, and a five-man crew—scrambled into three small inflatable rafts. Lost in the Pacific
On October 21, 1942, during World War II, a B-17 Flying Fortress carrying Colonel Eddie Rickenbacker on a secret fact-finding mission for the Pentagon strayed hundreds of miles off course. Unable to find their refueling stop at Canton Island, the crew was forced to ditch the plane in a remote part of the Central Pacific. : They survived by catching rainwater and eating
: After three weeks at sea, the group began to separate their rafts to increase the chances of being spotted. A Navy patrol plane finally rescued Rickenbacker's group on November 13, 1942. Only one crew member, Sergeant Alexander Kaczmarczyk, did not survive the ordeal. Book: Lost in the Pacific, 1942 by Tod Olson On October 21, 1942, during World War II,