William T. Cherry, Jr., was the pilot of a B-17 that ditched in the South Pacific on 10-21-1942. One of the seven passengers on the B-17 was World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker, who was on a secret mission for the War Department. Cherry, Rickenbacker, and five others lived through the ditching and were eventually rescued after spending 3 weeks adrift in 3 life rafts. The eighth passenger died at sea.
William T. Cherry, Jr., was the pilot of a B-17 that ditched in the South Pacific on 10-21-1942. One of the seven passengers on the B-17 was World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker, who was on a secret mission for the War Department. Cherry, Rickenbacker, and five others lived through the ditching and were eventually rescued after spending 3 weeks adrift in 3 life rafts. The eighth passenger died at sea.
