[Blumax]

I used to know an old guy who is sadly no longer with us, he was the tail gunner on a Lanc, i asked him one night over a beer how he had managed to lose two fingers on his left hand,
he told me of a raid that he went on (night time raid). The flak was heavy and a nightfighter had singled out his bomber, he didnt know what it was he didnt even see it, he just heard the
rounds coming through the side of the fusilage and then a bright light and a huge bang. He said it all happened in seconds and the next thing he knew he was dangling beneath what was left of
his rear gun turret. He didn't realise that he was hanging in mid air because the strength of the wind beneath the fusilage was pushing his legs up into the sitting position and it was only when he started
to gather his sences that he realised there was nothing beneath him, all that was holding him was his broken harness and a piece of twisted metal that he had caught up on. He was eventually
rescued by the crew but they had to get past another gapping hole in the bottom of the fusilage before they could reach him. He lost some toes and his two fingers to frost bite and was lucky to
survive from hypothermia. The bomber continued on to complete its part in the raid..............they could more than hold there own. He sadly never flew again after spending months in hospital the
war was all but over for the lanc crews by the time he had recovered.