When Great Britain went to war with Germany, Nicholas Alkemade gave up his gardening job to enlist in the Royal Air Force. He became a tail gunner on an Avro Lancaster. On his 15th mission, his bomber (called Werewolf) bombed Berlin the night of March 24, 1944. On the return trip, Werewolf was attacked by a JU-88 night-fighter. The Nazi’s bullets badly damaged the bomber and set it afire. Nicholas’ pilot ordered his crew to bail out. When Nicholas reached for his, he found that it was on fire. Now he had a choice of staying on the bomber and burning to death or jumping out without a parachute. This would mean an exciting trip with an abrupt ending. He jumped. At 18,000 feet. Jumping out of flaming planes was a common experience for WWI pilots who had no parachutes. They all died, but Nicholas didn’t. He fell into some pine trees that slowed him down and he landed in fluffy snow. He had a sprained knee, but not one broken bone. He certainly couldn’t escape from anyone and needed medical attention. He blew his “distress whistle” and some German civilians found him. He ended up with the Gestapo, who thought he was a spy with a ridiculous cover story. However, upon examining the site, it was determined that he was telling the truth. He became a celebrity and German officers begged him to tell his story. He ended up in Stalag Luft III until the end of the war. He missed the Great Escape, which occurred the night he jumped.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade
0 Comments