Tales of Lancasters and Other Aircraft

Of every 100 operational airmen in World War II, nine were killed flying in England and three severely injured in crashes; non-operational casualties numbered more than 15,000. Operational casualties were chillingly grim--more than 56,000 airmen died in World War II, more than half those involved. George Culling was a 19-year-old Lancaster navigator whose experiences often involved battling tricky and dangerous conditions. Fascinated by the ever-present dangers for airmen even away from combat, he has collated tales from comrades and combined them with his own to preserve some of the unexpected, dangerous, and often downright bizarre experiences that typified daily life for airman in World War II.