On Aug. 16, 1940, James B. Nicolson, a 23 year old RAF pilot of the No. 249 Squadron, was on a mission to intercept German bombers near Southampton.
As the dogfight ensued, Nicolson’s plane was hit by a German fighter. The rounds injured him in the forehead, eye and foot. The engine was also damaged, the fuel set alight and his cockpit engulfed in fire.
As he struggled to leave the blazing plane, he saw another German Messerschmitt. Instead of bailing out, Nicolson went back into the pilot seat.
While he was on fire (can’t stress that enough), he gave chase to the enemy fighter and shot him out of the sky. Only after watching the German fighter hit the ground, Nicolson finally bailed out.
He sustained major burns all over his body. His hands were so badly burnt that he was unable to release his parachute once he landed...and survived. Yet his ordeal was not over – he was peppered in the leg by a shotgun fired by an enthusiastic member of the Home Guard who thought he was a German pilot.
For his actions, he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
He fully recovered from his wounds, and a year later, he was back into the pilot seat, fighting over India and Burma, earning several medals for valor.
Nicolson was killed on May 2, 1945, his RAF B-24 Liberator caught fire and crashed into the Bay of Bengal. His body was not recovered.
Nicolson was the only Battle of Britain pilot and the only pilot of RAF Fighter Command to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Second World War. #raf #uk #ww2 #stayzero #zerofoxtrot