Louis Zamperini was born on January 26, 1917. Due to chronic illness detected in Louis when he was young, he and his family had to move to California, where Zamperini began his life as an athlete.
Who was Louis Zamperini?
During his teenage years, Louis led a life of delinquency. The authorities of his county already knew him for his continuous thefts, so his family decided to take matters into their own hands and lead him on the path of sports. He started running on a 660-yard track at his school, and little by little, track and field became his whole life. He began to compete in professional athletic events, and when he was only 17 years old, he won the California 5 thousand meter championship. Months later, he qualified for the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.
Upon arriving in Germany, many claim that Zamperini did not do his best due to his poor physical condition; however, he managed to advance to the finals in the 5,000-meter race, where he came eighth, finishing his last lap in 56 seconds.
Zamperini competed for a few more years at the University of Southern California. After that, he decided to put his athletic life aside and begin a career in the U.S. Air Force.
Soon after, he was sent to Hawaii, where he trained as a gunner in the South Pacific unit of the B-24 bomber (a prominent World War II airplane that was manned by 11 people and could carry an explosive payload of up to 3,700 kilograms).
His first mission came in 1942. The team he was part of used to fly a certain number of kilometers, drop explosives over an area taken by the Japanese, and return to base. The plane, in which Zamperini flew (B-24), was sent to participate in the search for an Allied B-25 that had been shot down near the Pacific. When they arrived at the site, the engines began to fail, and the B-24 fell. In just over two minutes, it crashed hard into the waters of the Pacific, followed by an explosion.
What happened to Louis Zamperini?
Zamperini was trapped under the machine gunner’s tripod, but fortunately, he landed on top of a life raft, so he made it out of the ocean successfully. Besides Zamperini, Russell Phillips (the pilot) and Francis McNamara (the tail gunner) survived. They spent days in the ocean until they saw a plane and quickly launched two flares, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a Japanese bomber. Francis’ died.
How did Louis Zamperini survive?
After months of drifting, Zamperini was captured by the Japanese, who punished and beat him on multiple occasions. Finally, the Japanese let him go free. Louis Zamperini arrived in the United States, where he suffered the post-traumatic after-effects of all he had lived through. He finally passed away on July 2, 2014, due to pneumonia.
What is the name of Louis Zamperini’s film?
Universal bought the rights to Zamperini’s story in 1957 to make a film about him starring Tony Curtis. However, after many ups and downs and years of abandonment, the project was taken by Angelina Jolie in 2014. Directed by Jolie, Unbroken attempts to give an accurate account of all the misfortunes Zamperini went through.
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
