He was taken aback, seeing it suspended from the ceiling among the other examples of World War II fighters.
The aeroplane had been dredged up from the English Channel, where it had sat undisturbed on the sea bed for forty years. The bullet holes that had ripped open the fuselage and destroyed the engine had been repaired, the bodywork had been restored and gleaming yellow and blue livery had been freshly applied.
He remembered watching this aeroplane ditching into the water as he had floated down. It had not disintegrated on impact, but skipped across the surface before gradually sinking.
He had seen the burning Messerschmidt hit the water too. The pilot had not been so lucky. His machine somersaulted, capitulating in a ball of flame. There had been no ejection or tell-tale parachute.
He had survived, his enemy had not. Such were the vagaries of war.
As their daughter and grandchildren walked away, he silently thanked the aluminium and steel that had held together just long enough all those years ago.
Written as part of Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers. The challenge is to write a flash fiction story or poem in around 150 – 175 words, based on the weekly photo prompt. Thanks as always to the challenge host Priceless Joy. For more information visit HERE.
To read other stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
Oh wow. I wonder if he held back tears. Did he tell his family the story? Or did they have no idea?
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I wonder, I suspect they knew something but often those that returned from the war didn’t go into details about what had happened over there, so maybe they didn’t know the full story.
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What a nostalgic piece is this. Very well written, Kelly. . Mine too is about a war hero. https://neelwritesblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/neelwrites-flyhighskyhigh-fffaw-realisticfiction-shortstory-flash-15-05-2018/
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Similar ideas, thanks Neel.
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Brilliant tale of fate, victory and optimism….
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Thanks Reena
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He survived, the other pilot died. I wonder if in retrospect he felt any guilt.
Click to read my FFfAW
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I’m sure he like many others, must have felt some level of guilt, even if they believed in the cause they were fighting for.
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Aren’t many World War Two vets left to have such memories.
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The machines have outlived them, fortunately their stories will live on.
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Wonderful story, Iain! Very touching. The war memory he has is horrific. Thankfully, he survived.
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Thank you PJ, so many must have horrific memories of war.
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Yes, I agree with you. Many have PTSD from it. So very sad.
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Very nostalgic piece, Iain. The last few words sums it up perfectly. Very thin margins between life and death.
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And the winners and losers. Thanks Varad
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He wasn’t the first to thank a plane in suh a manner. Once a P-47 got shot up bad, but still flew. The controls were out and he could only fly level. An FW190 discovered him and began blasting away. He fired and fired but the P-47 still flew. Eventually the German ran out of ammo. The pilot survived to thank his plane, just like your MC. Great story!
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Thank you, sounds like a dramatic and lucky real life escape!
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It is real life. It actually happened. The plane landed safely but had hundreds of holes in it. It had to be scrapped after that. The P-47 Thunderbolt enjoyed a great reputation for being tough.
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Iain, this was a fine and touching story.
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Thanks Michael
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Great tale…thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Donna 🙂
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Good bit of writing! I love how the tale circles back to the exhibit, with a hopeful ending.
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Thank you so much Jen 🙂
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Nice, light touch on the final reveal!
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Thanks Liz
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Great war story. A family friend was a pilot in the Army Air Force during WWII. A hero – your character and our friend Spud.
Ellespeth
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Thanks Ellespeth
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Amazing read! I’ve heard that pilots usually have a strong connection with their planes. During World War, they always used to try to land it somehow. The plane crashing in sea was very painful for them to watch. Glad he got to see his plane again.
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Thank you, glad you liked it.
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Coming across a part of his past particularly a traumatic part must have thrown him. Good story Iain. You can’t help but think of the war with this photograph. Yours is a good story.
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Thanks Irene.
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Lovely tale around the pic.!!
Iain, You are nominated for the mystery blogger award – https://shilpanairy.wordpress.com/2018/05/17/the-mystery-blogger-award/
Congratulation… 🙂
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Thanks Shilpa
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I love the connections in the story. Well done.
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Thank you
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I like the history behind this one. It would be very shocking to see your sunken plane, restored from the water’s you almost drowned it; where your enemy, another young man, died. The realities of war are so far reaching.
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That was the idea, thank you.
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