The Lost Squadron by David Hayes (1994 Nonfiction updated in 2007)

In 1942, a squadron of 6 P-38 fighters and 2 B-17 bombers made an emergency landing in Greenland. While the crews were all rescued, the brand-new planes were left behind. Forty years later, the first of several proposed salvage operations began, culminating in the recovery of only one P-38 in 1993. Over the 50-year time span between the abandonment and recovery, the unforgiving climate and geography of arctic had covered the planes with 250 feet of ice and snow. This book chronicles the attempts of several different groups of warbird lovers, engineers, and investors to locate and recover the planes. Complete with detailed histories of the aircraft and beautiful photographs of the original squadron and the recovery missions, it is of particular interest to the fans of World War II era aircraft but also those who are interested in the persistent nature of the human spirit. Today, there are only seven flyable P-38's in existence, one of which is "Glacier Girl" featured in this story.

Reviewed by Ginger Russell