Memories of Service 3 - Douglas Smith

Web (Full Length) – 2016

With the phrase “we were lucky to get away with it” and a ready laugh, 97-year-old Douglas Smith describes some of the close calls he had as a trainee and later bomber pilot during World War ll. Luck yes, but skill too, as he survived a 30 mission tour of duty. Douglas first tasted action flying a small, twin engine Dakota Boston over France and the Netherlands. Graduating to four engine Lancasters, he took part in huge raids over some of Germany’s biggest cities. Never afraid himself, he laments the vast loss of life among friends and enemies.

We got chased out of France with a 109 [aircraft] on our tail and every now and again he’d fire a couple of cannon shells. But he had to be pretty careful because we were lower than his ceiling and if he got down to depressing his aircraft to get the guns to fire, he would be going into the ground because we were that low we were going under bloody power lines and all sorts of things.
– Douglas Smith