US airman was alone on burning bomber – without a parachute

At least a million Germancasualties

Alone in a bomber which was blazing from nose to tail, an American faced the choice of jumping to certain death, dying in the burning plane, or risking the bomb exploding when he tried a crash-landing,” read the story on August 22, 1943.

“With metal parts melting, and even the aluminium fuselage burning, he forced the aircraft down in the sea, just off the English coast. He escaped a few

The Post reported good news from the war that “between July 5 and August 20, the Germans lost at least 1,000,000 men killed and wounded on the Russian front”.

“A special Soviet announcement, which gave this information, said: ‘During the summer offensive, the enemy lost over 300,000 officers and men. Taking into consideration the number of wounded in the Fascist army exceeds by two or two-and-a-half times the number of killed, it must be estimated enemy losses in killed and wounded for that period are about one million officers and men’. “During the same period our troops captured 857 tanks, 1,274 guns, 3,429 machine-guns and 4,230 lorries.” moments before the bombs exploded.” Telling his story, 24-year-old Matthew L Vinson of Texas said the plane, a Fortress, was at 13,000ft when the explosion of oxygen bottles sent searing sheets of flame through the aircraft.

“The pilot ordered the crew to bale out. When all but Vinson and the bombaimer, JH Miller, had gone, Vinson made the discovery that his parachute had been blown out of the aircraft.

“Miller wouldn’t go,” said Vinson. “But I dragged him to the hatch and shoved him through. “I got the damned thing down somehow’.”