A Lucky Escape

Navigator Mac McFarlane

Transcript of narrative:

As Mac McFarlane sat in the navigator’s position of Blenheim R3821, he was not a happy man. The pilot was warming up the engines in preparation for, what Mac thought, sounded like a suicidal daylight attack on a German airfield in Denmark.

Over the past couple of months Mac had experienced many close shaves. In May 1940, it had been sheer luck that he had not been on duty the day that 11 out of 12 Blenheim’s of No. 82 Squadron had been brought down. In June he had only just escaped from German fighters when his pilot had flown so low that the lower gun position had been ripped from the aircraft as they flew through a tree. It was now August and Mac was sure that his luck was about to run out.

Mac suddenly noticed one of the ground crew signaling for the engines to be shut down. Climbing out of the aircraft he was relieved to hear that the entire crew had been posted to a training unit and another crew would be taking their place. Of the 11 Blenheims that reached Denmark that day, none returned as No. 82 Squadron was wiped out for a second time.