THOMAS J HUDNER

This US Navy aviator fought a desperate battle against time, flames and the brutal North Korean winter in an attempt to rescue his trapped wingman

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On 4 December 1950, Thomas J Hudner flew his F4U Corsair over Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, under the early afternoon Sun. Seven other Corsairs and eight Douglas A-1 Skyraiders were with him, conducting a routine armed reconnaissance mission, hunting for enemy troop concentrations and mechanised equipment. Compared to closeair support (CAS) missions, the navy aviators were at relatively low risk. Still, they had to fly at an altitude of just 700ft (210m) to spot Chinese equipment in arctic camouflage, dodging between mountains up to 6,000ft (1800m) high. Reconnaissance missions had gone awry before during the Korean War, with Chinese soldiers, near-impossible to spot set against the deep snow, often firing at passing planes.

Hudner took up a position at the back of a formation of four F4Us. Ahead of his roaring single propeller were Ralph McQueen, Bill Koenig and his close friend and wingman Jesse Brown. At 2.40pm, Koenig’s voice crackled over the radio, warning Brown that he was trailing fuel. Perhaps a Chinese infantryman had taken a lucky shot and ruptured one of his fuel lines. Brown gave the dreaded reply that he was losing power and couldn’t maintain altitude. His Corsair began to sink below the formation and Brown opened his canopy, preparing for a heavy crash landing without power.

The snow was 1.5ft (45cm) deep, but it was powder and provided almost no cushioning. Brown’s aircraft buckled under the heavy impact. The fuselage bent 30 degrees, the engine sheared off and the canopy slammed shut. Smoke rose from the engine’s cowling, filling the cockpit. Circling above, the remaining airmen thought there was no chance Brown had survived, until miraculously he pulled the canopy back open. The pilot was alive but severely injured and trapped in his aircraft 15 miles (24km) behind enemy lines in freezing temperatures.