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The Crash of Little Eva, The Ultimate World War II Survivor Story

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On 3 December 1942, 90th Bomb Group Liberators attacked Japanese shipping north of Buna. One B-24 - 'Little Eva' - carrying Lieutenant Norman Crosson and his crew, on their first mission, became lost. The crew bailed out and therein began a saga of survival that is the subject of this 2006 release by Pelican Publishing.

Four crewmen died in the crash, leaving two separate group of survivors. Crosson and one other crewman walked out of the jungle 13 days after the crash. Since the B-24 had crashed in very inhospitable territory, an Australian official shortsightedly called off further rescue attempts. Tragically, four crewmen were still alive. The four struggled to reach safety but one after the another died. Over 140(!) days after the crash, one lone survivor - Sgt. Grady Gaston - reached safety. Yet, as documented in THE CRASH OF LITTLE EVA, Gaston "survived the ordeal but he did not survive the experience." His nightmarish struggle to survive left him tormented for the rest of his life. He finally found peace on 8 January 1998.

Since the Little Eva crash and Gaston's experiences were well documented at the time, Barry Ralph's book recaptures the whole experience in a vivid, stirring yet ultimately saddening narrative.

THE CRASH OF LITTLE EVA is not your standard war story. Reading Ralph's book leaves one with a sense of loss at those young lives needlessly wasted. Recommended.