Daring Escapes from Concentrations Camps, Enemies, and Crashed Planes

1. A Soviet Airman’s Extremely Lucky Escape From the Grim Reaper’s Clutches

Because he feared that might get shot by German fighters while he dangled defenseless beneath a parachute, Ivan Chisov decided that he would not open his parachute until he got close to the ground. However, lack of oxygen in the thin air so high up caused him to blackout. Unconscious, he continued all the way down without deploying his parachute. As a result, he plummeted 23,000 feet from his stricken Il-4, before he hit the ground at an estimated speed of 118 to 150 miles per hour.

Luckily, for the Soviet airman, he hit the edge of a snowy ravine, and the snow absorbed and dissipated enough impact energy to keep him alive. Chisov bounced from the ravine’s edge and slid, rolled, and plowed his way to the bottom. He was seriously hurt and suffered spinal injuries and a broken pelvis. However, he had managed to escape the Grim Reaper and was alive. He underwent surgery and spent a month hospitalized in critical care. He was a tough Russian, however, and three months after his dramatic fall, Chisov was back in the air, flying more missions against the Nazis.

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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading

303^rd Bomb Group History – 20,000 Feet Without a Parachute: The Alan Magee Story

Air Force Magazine, February 1^st, 1995 – Valor: Thanks, Luftwaffe

Aviation Geek Club – The Story of Bruce Carr, the P-51D Pilot Who Left on a Mission Flying a Mustang and Returned to Base Flying a Luftwaffe FW190

Baer, Joel H. – Pirates of the British Isles (2005)

BBC – Shoichi Yokoi, the Japanese Soldier Who Held Out in Guam

Check Six – The Free Fall of Sergeant Magee

Encyclopedia Britannica – John Avery

Encyclopedia Britannica – Johnny Torrio

Historic Wings – The Miracle of Saint Nazaire

History Collection – 16 Steps These Criminals Took to Escape From Alcatraz