The crew chosen to fly N-209 were all experienced in their specialty – arctic pilots, navigators, radio technicians and mechanics. At least two have a predilection that they were going to their death but had no choice in the matter. This was Stalin’s Russia, the drums of war could be heard and aviation ‘firsts’ were being racked up by all technologically progressive countries. They left behind family and friends … and a legacy. They have been immortalized in museums and with monuments in Russia, Ukraine and Poland and in the print media. Now it is time to discover their final resting place beneath the cold Arctic Ocean.