Saturday, March 7

Coincidence Of The Two Flying Fortress Airmen From Ludington

Boeing Y1B-17 in flight
Boeing Y1B-17 in flight
Wars seem to bring about coincidences. Here's a true story from World War II which involves two men from Ludington, USA.

Lieut. Gordon Erickson, from Ludington, had his Flying Fortress blasted to pieces over enemy territory. He ultimately worked his way back through underground channels, first to Spain and then on to England.

Similarly Tech. Sgt. Harry Eastman had his plane, a Fortress, also blasted to pieces over enemy territory in much the same general field of action. He too succeeded ultimately in getting through enemy-occupied territory by various means.

When Sgt. Eastman walked into an Army air force headquarters in London to report his safe return, he learnt from the officer that another man, from some city in Ludington, Mich., USA, had come in just ahead of him.

It was a highly improbable coincidence - two men in London, both from the same 'unknown' community in the United States, one coming on the heels of the other, both having 'flown out and walked back,' as the airmen put it.

Source: Ludington Daily News - Dec 6, 1943

Other Coincidence Stories:
The Coincidence Of The Two US Declarations Of Independence
Mystery Of The Disappearing And Reappearing Wedding Ring
What's In A Name Coincidence

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2 comments:

  1. Interesting! Did these two men know each other?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sometimes these things amaze me... this is one!

    ReplyDelete