Tuck’s Luck: Robert Tuck- Ace WW2 Pilot

Survived being shot down multiple times, Escaped prison camp

Despite shooting down 29 German planes with his Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, despite being shot down multiple times barely escaping death, and despite being captured and escaping a POW camp and having to fight for the Russian army: Tuck died of old age. When a fellow training aircraft rammed into his, Tuck had his face ripped open losing two teeth but managed to bail out unlike his collider(?? if that’s a word). Gliding 15 miles on a dead engine over the ocean to land in a field, having his plane shot out underneath him several times, and being captured by Germans who were in a good mood (even though he had shot at them) plus escaping prison was Tuck’s Luck. His 20mm cannon shell had gone down the barrel of a German AA gun peeling the barrel like a banana, which the Germans found hilarious. He did, however, accidently kill his sister’s husband when he shot down a German bomber and its debris struck his brother-in-law at a base: the only man to die in the area. Yikes. Tuck’s Luck held but his bravery was hard earned with multiple Decorations of Valor from the Americans as well as the British. Valor is in you. Set it free. (Luck is good too though).