Lost in Shangri-La (2011) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

show spoilers

People edit see section history

• Santiago "Sandy" Abrenica: Master sergeant in the U.S. Army 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Right-hand man to Captain C. Earl Walter Jr.
• Custodio Alerta: Corporal in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special crash
• G. Reynolds Allen: Captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces and a pilot of the Waco glider dubbed the Fanless Faggot
• Richard Archbold: Biological researcher and sponsor/organizer of the 1938 expedition that "discovered" the New Guinea valley later nicknamed "Shangri-La."
• William D. Baker: Captain in the Army Air Forces and pilot of B-17 search plane that spotted the survivors in the jungle clearing.
• Alfred Baylon: Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special crash.
• Laura Besley: Sergeant in the Women's Army Corps from Shippenville, Pennsylvania. Passenger aboard the Gremlin Special. Close friend of Margaret Hastings.
• Benjamin "Doc" Bulatao: Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Lead medic in volunteer rescue mission following Gremlin Special crash
• Alexander Cann: Canadian-born filmmaker for the Netherlands Indies Government Information Service. Former Hollywood actor and failed jewel thief.
• Hermenegildo Caoili: Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special crash.
• Kenneth Decker: Tech sergeant from Kelso, Washington, who worked as a draftsman in the engineering department of the Far East Air Service Command. Passenger aboard the Gremlin Special.
• Fernando Dongallo: Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special crash.
• Ray T. Elsmore: Colonel and commander of the 322nd Troop Carrier Wing of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Confirmed Major Myron Grime's report of a large valley in central New Guinea and subsequently became the U.S. military's leading authority on the region. Directed rescue operations following Gremling Special crash.
• Walter "Wally" Fleming: Army sergeant based in Hollandia, New Guinea, and sometime boyfriend of Margaret Hastings.
• George Gardner: Major in the U.S. Army Air Forces who supervised supply runs to the Gremlin Special survivors.
• Herbert F. Good: Army captain from Dayton, Ohio. Passenger aboard the Gremling Special.
• Myron Grimes: Major in the Army Air Forces who was the first U.S. military pilot to "discover" the New Guinea valley later nicknamed "Shangri-La."
• Jack Gutzeit: Sergeant and radioman on C-47 search and supply plane known as the 311, following the Gremling Special crash.
• Eleanor Hanna: Private from Montoursville, Pennsylvania, in the Women's Army Corps. Passenger aboard the Gremlin Special.
• Margaret "Maggie" Hastings: Corporal from Owego, New York, in the Women's Army Corps. Secretary to Colonel Peter Prossen, close friends of Laura Besley. Passenger aboard the Gremlin Special.
• Patrick Hastings: Widowed father of Margaret Hastings. Foreman in shoe factory in Owego, New York
• Edward T. Imparato: Colonel in the U.S. Army Air Forces and pilot of plane that dropped C. Earl Walter Jr.'s paratrooper team into Shangri-La.
• Juan "Johnny" Javonillo: Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremlin Special crash.
• Helen Kent: Sergeant from Taft, California, in Women's Army Corps. Passenger aboard the Gremlin Special.
• George Lait and Harry E. Patterson: War correspondents who flew over the New Guinea valley with Colonel Ray T. Elsmore and coined the nickname "Shangri-La."
• Yali Logo: Leader of the Logo-Mabel clan who plotted to murder the Gremlin Special survivors.
• John and Robert McCollom: Twin brothers from Trenton, Missouri, both liutenants in the maintenance sector from the Far East Air Service Command. Passengers aboard the Gremlin Special.
• William G. Mckenzie: Captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces, from La Cross, Wisconsin. Copilot to Major William J. Samuels in glider snatch plane
• Herbert O. Mengel: Captan in the U.S. Army Air Forces, from St. Petersburg, Florida, and pilot of the 311 supply plane
• Melvin "Molly" Mollberg: Private in the Army Air Forces, from Baudette, Minnesota. Assistant engineer on the Gremlin Special. Joined the crew as a favor to his best friend, Corporal James "Jimmy" Lutgring who didn't want to fly with Colonel Peter Prossen.
• Ralph Morton: War correspondent for The Associated Press who led coverage of the Gremlin Special crash, along with Walter Simmons of the Chicago Tribune.
• George H. Nicholson Jr.: Major in the Army Air Forces, from Medford, Massachusetts. Copilot on the Gremlin Special.
• Henry E. Palmer: Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A glider pilot aboard the Fanless Faggot.
• Peter J. Prossen: Colonel in the Army Air Forces, from San Antonio, Texas. Chief of the maintenance section of the Far East Air Service Command in Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea. Pilot of the Gremlin Special.
• Camilo "Rammy" Ramirez: Corporal in the U.S. Army's 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteer medic in rescue mission following Gremling Special crash.
• Don Ruiz: Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremling Special crash.
• William J. Samuels: Major in the U.S. Army Air Forces and commander in the 33rd Troop Carrier Squadron, from Decatur, Illinois. The most experienced U.S. pilot in the Southwest Pacific in "snatching" gliders from the ground into the air.
• Walter Simmons: War correspondent for the Chicago Tribune who led coverage of the Gremlin Special crash, along with Associated press reporter Ralph Morton.
• Roque Velasco: Sergeant in the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special). Volunteered for rescue mission following Gremling Special crash.
• C. Earl Walter Jr.: Captain in the U.S. Army's 1st Reconnaissance Battalion (Special), from Portland, Oregon. Was awaiting a combat posting with his Filipino-American paratroopers when he volunteered to lead the rescue mission into Shangri-La.
• Wimayuk Wandik: Known to the Gremlin Special survivors as "Pete", a leader of the native village Uwambo.
• Additional Passengers and Crew Killed in the May 13, 1945, Crash of the Gremlin Special: Major Herman F. Antonini of Danville, IllinoisMajor Phillip J. Dattilo of Louiseville, KentuckyPrivate Alethia M. Fair of Hollywood, CaliforniaCaptain Louis E. Freyman of Hammond, IndianaPrivate Marian Gillis of Los AngelesFirst Lieutenant Laurence F. Holding of Raleight, North CarolinaPrivate Mary M. Landau of Brooklyn, New YorkSergeant Marion W. McMonagle of PhiladelphiaCorporal Charles R. Miller of Saint Joseph, MichiganSergeant Belle Naimer of the Bronx, New YorkPrivate George R. Newcomer of Middletown, New YorkSergeant Hilliard Norris of Waynesville, North CarolinaCorporal Melvyn Weber of Compton, California

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• New Guinea

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• IDPF: Individual Deceased Personnel File, an official U.S. Army document generally running more than one hundred pages, detailing the circumstances of death, recovery, and identification of remains, dispersal of belongings and burial. IDPFs for ninteen of the Gremling Special victims were obtained using the Freedom of Information Act. Army officials said they could not locate files for Laura Besley and Louis Freyman.
• CEW: C. Earl Ealter Jr.'s daily journal, which he wrote during his weeks in Shangri-La. Walter granter permission for it's use here. Much of the journal was reproduced by Colonel Edward T. Imparato in Rescue from Shangri-La.
• MACR: Missing Air Crash Report No. 14697, the declassified U.S. Army Air Forces account of the incident, including survivors' sworn statements taken upon their return to Hollandia; the names, ranks, and home addresses of the victims; a map showing the crash location; and an official account of the flight, the crash, and the search and rescue.
• SLD: Shangri-La Diary is an account of the crash and rescue written by Margaret Hastings in secretarial shorthand while in the valley. Inez Robb of the International News Service helped to expand it into a serial distributed to newspapaers in the summer of 1945. Reader's Digest published a condensed version in December 1945. Tioga County historian Emma Sedore transcribed the version of the diary used here. In an unaired interview with documentary filmmaker Rober Gardner, John McCollom vouched for its accuracy. C. Earl Walter Jr. agreed, with one exception: he denied singing "Shoo, Shoo Baby" as he entered the survivors's camp. However in a joint interview in 1998, McCollom insisted that it was true, and Walter relented. Walter acknowledged as much to the author. Walter's initial denial might be traced to the ribbing he took from friends and family about singing in the jungle.
• TCHS: Tioga County Historical Societ, in Owego, N.Y., which preserved Margaret Hasting's personal scrapbook, letters, telegrams, photographs, and other materials.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by The Vow, and followed by Moonwalking With Einstein.

Followed by Caleb's Crossing.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Mitchell Zuckoff (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 940.548

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › History › Military › World War II
• Books › History › Military › United States
• Books › History › World
• Books › History › Australia & Oceania

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff: Author's website with additional photos and videos of the book's events.

More Books Like This edit see section history