|
This was in the Aug 2008 letters section of Air Force magazine. I thought I 'd share for those that don't get it. It's one of the reasons I'm fascinated with warbirds and those who flew them.
Few pilots today know that the Lancaster had no autopilot and was flown by just one pilot [Airpower Classics: Lancaster, June, p.80]. I knew such a pilot; he was a fellow flight instructor with the RCAF in 1955. He looked younger than I did and sported a DFC. I quipped to him, "They don't give those away and you are too young to have been in WWII, how did you earn it?"
His modest answer: "We were in a thousand night-bomber raid over Germany in 1944, and the biggest fear I had was colliding with another Lanc. Halfway to Berlin, I had an explosion on the port side and thought it was flak. I had to use full aileron and rudder to keep it straight and level, and as I was already halfway there, I proceeded to the target and back home.
"When I landed at dawn, I stepped out to check the damage and found that the whole left wing, past the outboard engine, was missing-like gone! I later found out that another Lanc had collided with me and he returned to base. It was a 10-hour flight and my arms and right leg were locked into position for days afterwards. My squadron leader thought I did a bang-up job, though I told him my flight engineer took spells with me, but he didn't get anything."
He showed me his logbook. He was 19 years old and had 330 hours in it.
George Fulford
Mill Valley, CA
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
