- Contributed by听
- Mr G Mortimore
- People in story:听
- Mr George Thomas Mortimore
- Location of story:听
- Dortmund, Germany
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A8257773
- Contributed on:听
- 04 January 2006
Flt Off GT Mortimore 103 Sqdn Elsham Wolds
On the 29th of November 1944 I was an Air bomber on Lancaster PB 465 鈥楩鈥 from 103 Sqdn RAF Elsham Wolds, on a day light raid to Dortmund.
We were on our final bombing run to the target when another Lancaster collided with us and orders were given by the pilot to bail out. I managed to open the escape hatch and was blown out of the aircraft. As I left, our aircraft exploded and I found myself with a broken arm and my parachute hanging above my head. Somehow I managed to pull the ripcord and found myself floating into large trees in a forest. I was held by the branches of the trees swinging in mid air and was eventually found by local German troops. I was taken to hospital and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner. I had a broken arm and numerous shrapnel body wounds.
The remaining members of my crew who were mainly Canadian were killed in the explosion.
Postcript
If you can visualise literally flying an aircraft into position for a bombing raid into a target you will appreciate it was like an 鈥淎erial M25鈥. The other Lancaster collided with our tail, which caused the fatal accident. This aircraft flew on, bombed the target and got back to the UK on two engines finally making an emergency landing. I know this as I met the pilot later on in a German Hospital after he had been shot down in a later raid.
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