Louis S. Zamperini
B-24 Liberator Bombardier, Prisoner Of War (POW)

Background
Louis Silvie Zamperini was born January 26, 1917 to parents Anthony “Tony” Zamperini and Louise Zamperini in Olean, NY. The family moved to Torance, CA. Nicknamed the "Torrance Tornado", he earned a a scholarship to USC and participated in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin as a 5,000m runner and finished eight. Two years later in 1938, Zamperini set a national collegiate mile record which held for 15 years.

Wartime History
On March 18, 1941 enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as an aviation cadet with serial number 19038931. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-663341. Assigned to the 11th Bombardment Group, 42nd Bombardment Squadron as a bombardier aboard B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.

On April 20, 1943 Zamperini flew was bombardier aboard B-24D "Super Man" 41-23938 on a mission to photograph and bomb the phosphate works on Nauru. Over the target, the bomber was damaged by anti-aircraft fire and A6M Zeros and several 20mm cannon shells impacted the fuselage. Afterwards, bomber returned to Funafuti Airfield safely and Zamperini was photographed inspecting the damage.

Mission History
On May 27, 1943 took off as bombardier aboard B-24D "Green Hornet" 41-24212 on a search mission bound for Palmyra Airfield to refuel after the search. Over the search area, there was cloud cover down to 1,000' and the bomber dove to 800' to effectively search. During the mission, the no. 1 engine experienced problems and died. The engineer accidentally feathered the No. 2 engine, and the bomber quickly angled to the left and crashed into the Pacific Ocean north of Palmyra. When this B-24 failed to arrive it was reported as Missing In Action (MIA).

Fates of the Crew
Only three survived the crash: Philips, Zamperini and McNamara. During the crash, Zamperini managed to grab the life raft and deploy it. Philips sustained a head injury during the crash. McNamera survived 33 days at sea then died. The survivors said a prayer and buried him at sea. While in the raft, they survived a storm, strafing by a Japanese bomber and survived by catching and eating two albatross birds.

After 47 days at sea, Zamperini and Phillips were found by a Japanese fishing vessel. When captured, Zamperini weighted 79.5 pounds, down from his normal weight of 160. Both were transported to Maleolap arriving on July 14, 1943 and were detained by the Japanese Navy and became Prisoner Of War (POW).

On July 16, 1943 both were transported to Kwajalein and were detained for 43 days in a solitary confinement without any medical treatment in a cell that was approximately 2' 3" wide by 6' long and 7' tall and was fed a small rice ball three times a day and occasionally soup. During captivity, both prisoners contracted dengue fever, dysentery, diarrhea and malnutrition but did not receive any medical treatment. About four or five times, both prisoners were injected with the juice from a coconut intravenously while a group of Japanese watched. Both experienced pins and needles and broke out into hives. The prisoners were tormented by their guards and Zamperini was often threatened by a guard armed with a pistol and told to dance. While detained, Zamperini's body weight dropped to only 80 pounds. During August 1943 transported to Japan.

On August 27, 1943 Zamperini and Phillips were interned at Ofuna POW Camp. During 1945, transported to Naoetsu POW Camp until the end of the Pacific War. After the official surrender of Japan, he was liberated and transported to the United States.

Memorials
In the 1960s, Torrance Airport was renamed "Zamperini Field" in his honor. On July 2, 2014 Zamperini passed away and was cremated. He does not have any grave or memorial marker.

References
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Louis S. Zamperini
Missing Air Crew Report 16163 (MACR 16163) incorrectly lists the aircraft type as a "B-17" and does not list the serial number of the aircraft
Affidavit Louis Silvie Zamperini, November 1945
NARA Prisoners of War Data File - Louis S. Zamperini
NARA World War II Prisoners of the Japanese Data Files - Louis S. Zamperini
Daily News "Early or Late... " October 9, 1945 page 20
"it's still Christmas for the Calif. The folks (l to r), Mrs. Sylvia Flammer, a sister, Pop Zamperini, Virginia, a sister, and mother Louise, welcome Capt. Louis Zamperini home. The Army hero and former Olympic runner hold a Jap gun."
Devil At My Heels (2004) by Louis Zamperini
Unbroken (2007) by Laura Hillenbrand tells the life story of Louis Zamperini
FindAGrave - Louis Silvie Zamperini (photo)