I read an article on BBC.com the other day about Lancaster folks. According to the article, the life expectancy was 2 weeks.
VE Day: The last British Dambuster - BBC News
The first few paragraphs
Quote:
As VE Day - the end of World War Two in Europe - is marked, the last British survivor of the famous Dambusters raid explains what it was like to take part.
"I feel privileged and honoured to have taken part," says George "Johnny" Johnson. "It's what we were there for. We were determined to do our bit."
Johnson, now aged 93, is the last British survivor of the original Dambusters, the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, who conducted a night of raids on German dams in 1943 in an effort to disable Hitler's industrial heartland.
Their exploits were legendary even before being made into a film, The Dam Busters, released in 1955. A scene showing back-spinning cylindrical bombs, designed by engineer Barnes Wallis, bouncing along the water to avoid protective nets before sinking and breaching the dams with their explosive power, is one of the most famous in British film history. The Dam Busters March is still played at military events.
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One last bit from the article
Quote:
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The Lancaster was one of the most dangerous places to be in World War Two - the life expectancy of a new recruit was just two weeks
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Steve
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