Nicholas Alkemade: RAF Tail Gunner

Survived a Fall from 18,000 feet with no parachute

As the crew of the Lancaster bomber Werewolf flew their plane deeper into enemy territory in the dead of night, they were being stalked by a Ju-88 nightfighter. The German plane opened fire and the Werewolf caught fire with the captain calling all to bail out. Nicholas was the tail gunner but his section of the plane was on fire and his parachute (which he had to remove to fit in the turret) was burning. Not wanting to burn to death, he cracked open the turret and fell out, knowing full well he was finished. Blacking out, he woke up deep in a snowbank, covered with scratches from branches of fir trees he had fallen through. Aside from a sprained knee he was in one piece with no broken bones. Unable to move he blew a whistle for a few hours till he was picked up by the Gestapo and interrogated (they had a hard time believing his story) and thrown into prison where he spent the rest of the war. Only two of his fellow airmen survived as the plane exploded on its way down. Sometimes Valor is not just surviving against all odds: it’s getting back in that plane again and again knowing what lies ahead. Valor is in you. Set it free.