Len Manning joined the Air Cadets in 1938 and then volunteered as an Air Gunner in 1943. He underwent rigorous training and was ready to fly in Summer 1944. Len managed three raids in his RAF career, his first took him to Nevers in the South of France, the second was a 1000 bomber daylight raid on Caen, and on the third he made a narrow escape after his plane was shot down by a German fighter. Len was lucky to be found by the French resistance after walking over 8 miles to the nearest village. He tells of how the resistance looked after him and managed to keep him hidden from German soldiers – despite some very close calls. He remained hidden until the German retreat, when he was reunited with the RAF in Paris. His story provides a unique insight into life behind enemy lines in occupied France and highlights the remarkable bravery and resourcefulness of the French resistance. Len acknowledges how lucky he was to survive and gives credit to the German fighter pilot who shot the wing of his plane and not the fuselage, a decision that ultimately saved his life.

Fred was a teenager when his home was destroyed in a bombing raid. At the age of eighteen he volunteered for the RAF, trained in gunnery and became the tail gunner in a Lancaster bomber. He took part in the nighttime bombing of Germany and, against the odds, survived 45 missions. There were some close moments and during this period he lost most of his friends in combat. After the war he had a recurring nightmare where, among a landscape of crashed aircraft, there was a space reserved for his bomber. At the start of the Berlin Airlift he was posted to Gatow as an intelligence officer, where his unit at first worked in a tent. Despite misgivings regarding its feasibility the Airlift went ahead anyway, initially using Dakotas and building up to larger aircraft. His billet was at the end of the runway, and at first he had trouble sleeping as the noise was constant, 24 hours a day. The Soviets were close by and made things awkward but never directly interfered although the local population were terrified that the Allies would leave them for the Russians. The devastation caused by bombing in Berlin was awful and the civilians were in poverty, although the airlift ration was about the same as those in Britain. While on duty a plane carrying coal crashed on take-off, killing all the crew. He served in Berlin for the entire duration of the Airlift and felt that it was better than bombing the city.

After losing his job at a timber yard Clifford joined the RAF just before the conscription age of eighteen. When he had completed his training, he was posted to Gatow in Germany, the main British airfield, at the start of the Airlift in June 1948. He was a clerical worker, ensuring the safe and rapid turnaround of hundreds of flights, as well as performing guard duty and manual work. During the Airlift disassembled vehicles and food were delivered and on the return journey they brought back sick children and post, which was forwarded. There were large numbers of Germans working on the base, alongside the RAF personnel and during the Airlift the western Allies began to be seen as defenders, rather than occupiers. He remembers the appreciation of German children and parents when he and his comrades gave the children a Christmas party on the base. The British troops paid for this and gave gifts of chocolate bars and oranges to the youngsters. In Berlin he acquired an appreciation of opera, made good friends and had a German girlfriend. Marrying German women however was frowned on by the British authorities. One episode he recalls vividly is getting very drunk on his 21^st birthday and being disciplined by his superior officer. Clifford felt that he matured from a boy to a man during his time in Berlin and was sad to leave. Some of his companions thought that the Germans deserved all they got but that was not his opinion.