Narrow escape for B-24 crew

10th January 1945: The demands of wartime flying push machines to the limit - and makes the simple act of flying a hazardous business

Contrails from the USAAF 8th Air Force as they head for Germany again.

The hazards of flying in wartime were numerous and not all were related to the enemy. The aircraft were often pushed to the limit. In inhospitable conditions on open airfields, the maintenance crews struggled to keep them properly serviced, always under pressure to keep a minimum numb…