For 47 days, storms, sharks, japanese bullets couldnt kill him. When his b24 crashed into the pacific during a rescue mission, he spent 47 days huddled in a raft, battling sharks and the equatorial sun, before being captured by japanese forces. Louis zamperini was more than a hero statesman journal. When captured by the japanese, zamperini weighed around 80 pounds. It was named the top nonfiction book of 2010 by time magazine.
Here is the missing air crew report the national archives holds a record with details of the downing of the former. At the time louie knew no english, making him the perfect target for bullies. After a recordbreaking 47 days adrift on a sharkencircled life raft with his pal. Zamperini spent 47 days floating in a raft in the pacific, starving, surrounded by sharks, after crashing in a bomber during a rescue mission. Louis zamperini, olympian, war hero, survived 47 days at sea, three. From delinquent to olympian to prisoner of war, zamperinis remarkable story offers inspiration in many different forms. Olympic athlete who went to war and spent 47 days on a life raft then two years in a japanese prison camp.
What they didnt realize was that those sharks would be their worst nightmare for the next 47 days. That ordeal included fighting off sharks while enemy planes shot at him. You may remember zamperini from laura hillenbrands bestselling biography of him, unbroken, which everyone read and then yelled at you to. He survived 47 days on a raft in blistering equatorial heat, losing half his body weight. Mac died on the on the 33rd day, but louie and phil managed to survive. Louis zamperini lives to talk about horrific plane crash, 47 days lost at sea and pow camp photo courtesy right. For more than two years, neither could his torturers. Unbrokens louis zamperini crashed into the pacific on may 27, 1943.
Shark week round up the happy housewife home schooling. Laura hillenbrands unbroken introduces an extraordinary. Zamperini who ran in the 1936 berlin olympics and a friend manage to hang on for 47 days of unbearable thirst, constant danger from sharks, and nearstarvation. Things start going wrong in the book when zamperini s plane crashes into the pacific ocean in may 1943, and he and two crew mates spend 47 days drifting westward in an inflatable raft. Not only the sharks and strafing, but 47 days of subsisting on rainwater, fish and birds. A warrior olympian, battered but unbowed he was a juvenile delinquent, then a worldclass miler. The harrowing account of his ordeal at sea told in laura hillenbrands outstanding book unbroken reveals that god had another plan for his life. Louis zamperini, olympian and unbroken war survivor. Louis zamperini obituary sport and leisure books the. It was about louie zamperiniduring wwii, he crashed in the pacific ocean and endured 47 days with sharks, japanese bullets, and no food or water. Louis zamperini was a world war ii prisoner of war and an olympic athlete who became an inspirational figure and writer. Ahead of zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. A star runner, war hero, and survivor of 47 days at sea in a rubber raft and two years of torture in japanese prison camps, louis zamperini, who. In world war ii, he survived 47 days on a raft in sharkinfested waters before being captured and imprisoned by brutal.
He got through survival at sea, wrestling with sharks, dodging bullets, being beaten by prison guards, said luke zamperini, son of the late hero and executive producer on the new film. Their 47 days at sea, trying to survive off rainwater and what fish they could catch, fearful of starvation and sharks, are harrowingly. Zamperinis books and simply forgot to mention them. Sharks continually circled the men as the relentless tropical sun beat down on them. Unbrokens louis zamperini crashed into the pacific on. Zamperini dressed allens wounds and rowed the small raft after a second one that was drifting in the currents nearby. Zamperini is the subject of laura hillenbrands bestselling book. Sonoma christian home had the distinct pleasure of speaking with luke zamperini, only son of louis zamperini, speaker, and producer for unbroken, path to redemption sch. After 47 days, zamperinis raft miraculously drifts to land. On may 27, 1943, zamperini and his crew were participating in a search and rescue mission over the pacific when their plane suddenly lost power to two of its. Son of louis zamperini continues faith legacy sonoma. On the 47th day, louie and phil landed on the marshall islands and were immediately held pow.
Lost for 47 days at sea in a raft, it took a god of. To zamperini, surviving meant starving and thirsting while confined to a life raft for 47 days. Talk about a miracle, zamperini says today at age 94. Olympian survives sharks, japanese sadist in wwii story. Meanwhile, discovery channel is also paying tribute to zamperini, reairing adrift. Zamperini was starved, humiliated and savagely beaten almost to. Take the american bombardier louis zamperini, who survived 47 days stranded at sea by catching and killing hungry sharks and drinking the warm blood of albatrosses only to be captured by the japanese and horrifically t. In her longawaited new book, laura hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid. Laura hillenbrand follows her spectacular biography of race horse seabiscuit with the gripping tale of louis zamperinis life and tribulations as a downed airman in wwii. Laura hillenbrand followed her runaway bestseller seabiscuit with this pageturner about the life of world war ii bombardier louis zamperini.
After three days without water, a cloud the size of a mans hand appeared on the horizon. Unbroken is written in hillenbrands inimitable style, blending global events with personal anecdotes from the lives of lt. Take the american bombardier louis zamperini, who survived 47 days stranded at sea by catching and killing hungry sharks and drinking. Zamperinis life is the subject of a new book by laura hillenbrand, who also wrote seabiscuit, the.
His name was louie zamperini, and from the day i first spoke to him, his. After surviving 47 days in a life raft in sharkinfested waters and enduring two years as a japanese prisoner of war, zamperini was liberated in time to attend the second running of the. Survival, resilience, and redemption 9781400064168. He and two other crewmen drift 2,000 miles in 47 days, slowly starving, their raft circled by sharks and strafed by a japanese plane. Zamperini, who survived 47 days on a raft in the pacific ocean and three years in a japanese pow camp during world war ii, died of pneumonia. And that ordeal was pleasant compared with what followed when he was captured by the japanese. Angelina jolie, director of unbroken louis zamperini was an olympian before he enlisted in world war ii and became a prisoner of war. Louis zamperini lives to talk about horrific plane crash, 47 days lost at sea and. Louis zamperini, an olympic runner who as an airman during world war ii crashed into the pacific, was listed as dead and then spent 47 days adrift in a life raft before being captured by the.
Born to italian immigrants in new york, his family moved to torrance, california when louis was a toddler. This episode of louie and phils life was chronicled in the shark week 2012 episode adrift. After surviving 47 days adrift at sea, louis zamperini endured brutal conditions at the hands of his japanese captors in a pow camp. A wwii story of survival, resilience, and redemption. They all knew that allens bleeding gash would quickly attract sharks. In 1941, he was commissioned into the united states army air forces as a lieutenant. Theres the staggering story of olympic runner and air force bombardier louis zamperini, terrifyingly stranded in 1943 on a life raft for 47 days, battling sharks, a typhoon and enemy gunfire.
Louis zamperini from world war 2, prisoner of war, book, laura hillenbrand. Louis zamperini is best known for laura hillenbrands book unbroken. Again and again, zamperini is forced into the sharkinfested water. Two of the three men survived the ordeal, while being confined to life raft in open water for 47 days. Louis zamperini lived an impossible, remarkable life. Strafed by japanese pilots and attacked by lunging sharks, zamperini and the pilot survived for 47 days in a rubber raft. Louis zamperini, wearing his old bomber jacket, is captured in this 2010 photo with the nazi swastika flag that he. Talking to unbroken veteran louis zamperini before his death in july at 97, the man immortalized in laura hillenbrands book reflected on courage, forgiveness, and why.
Louis silvie zamperini january 26, 1917 july 2, 2014 was an american world war ii veteran, a christian evangelist and an olympic distance runner. They fought off the constant sharks that sometimes jumped aboard. Stationed in hawaii during wwii, zamperini volunteered to search for a plane and its crew that disappeared one day in late may, 1943. Drafted into the army air corps, zamperini was stationed in oahu as a bombardier. After zamperini patches the holes and pumps up the raft, it rides higher in the water, and the sharks cant lunge aboard, so a shark leapt from the water at terrific. Learn about louis zamperinis life after ww2 ended and his new fight began. He killed a shark with a screwdriver, and the men ate its liver. Remembering louis zamperini billy graham evangelistic. Louis zamperini lives to talk about horrific plane crash, 47 days lost.
Then germany invaded poland, and everything changed. Louis zamperini, war hero, olympian and star of unbroken. After drifting at sea for 47 days, he landed on the japanese occupied marshall. Captured by the japanese, he refused to make propaganda broadcasts and was sent to a punishment camp, where he suffered brutal treatment at the hands of the guards. Louis zamperini lives to talk about horrific plane crash. His name is louis zamperini and he died last week of pneumonia. He took up running in high school and qualified for the us in the 5,000 m race for the 1936 berlin olympics. The others after surviving a storm, reached an atoll, where they were picked. Louis zamperini concluded his survival on a raft after 47 days at sea must have been a miracle. Louis zamperini, olympian, war hero, survived 47 days at. To hell and back hillenbrand returns with harrowing yarn of a pow in wwii who survives 47 days at sea and brutal captors.
By the fourth day, their food and water were gone, but zamperini was incapable of despair. In 1943, his b24 malfunctioned and crashed into the pacific ocean. Louis silvie zamperini january 26, 1917 july 2, 2014 was an american world war ii veteran. Unbroken sequel explores how louis zamperini came back. Louis zamperini, an olympic distance runner and world war ii veteran who survived 47 days on a raft in the pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured two years in. Louis zamperini, olympian, war hero, survived 47 days at sea, three years in. Surviving meant living with the tryanny, torture, and torment of his captors, including the threat of decapitation. Your father was an amazingly strong man who was an olympic champion, who survived an air crash into the sea with a harrowing 47 days on a raft, and 2 years of torture in a japanese prison, but he could not overcome. Ahead of zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks. Lauren hillenbrands unbroken, louis zamperini biopic aarp. The national archives holds a record with details of the downing of the former olympians b24 bomber that left him lost at sea for 47 days. Through dramatic reenactments for the shark week special, viewers saw the story of three world war ii solders caught between two deadly enemies.