- Contributed by听
- Harry Parkins
- People in story:听
- Pilot Joe Lennon, Flight Engineer Harry Parkins, Bomb Aimer Jimmy Hurman, Navigator Bruce Reese, WOP Jimmy Marriot, Mid Upper Gunner Joe Malloy, Rear Gunner Joe Pollard
- Location of story:听
- Stuttgart, Germany
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A8956146
- Contributed on:听
- 29 January 2006
When flying on operations it was said that the last plane back to base set up the drinks in the mess for the first crew back.
Because so many airbases were within a few miles of each other it was a written rule that when flying over another base where other aircraft were flying, to land one had to join the circuit before flying off and not to go straight across (similar to the roundabout system on a road today). I did read after the war that this was how roundabouts were invented.
On our way back from our 31st raid to Stuttgart on 28 July 1944, were on our circuit preparing to land when another Lancaster ignored the rule and shot straight across and under our Lancaster, crashing into us and taking off the tail wheel and H2S cupola. I shouted, 鈥渢hat was hell of a slipstream鈥 and made our crew laugh, which momentarily took away our fear. The other plane dived and crashed with no survivors. Thankfully we were able to land with sparks flashing all down the runway. Joe Pollard, our rear gunner, was shouting all the way out of fear of the sparks, it was a very nasty and frightening experience. After debriefing we were all given seven days survivors鈥 leave. No counselling in those days and back again on ops when we returned.
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