People Who Survived Falls From Airplanes Without Parachute
To jump out of an airplane with a parachute is dangerous enough. To jump out of an airplane without a parachute? During World War II, many airmen were forced by dire necessity to jump, or fell, out of airplanes thousands of feet up in the air, without parachutes. Most died upon impact, but a lucky few miraculously survived. Most were bomber crewmen. For the Western Allies’ fighting men in Europe, few jobs were more dangerous than service in a bomber. Especially in the days before Allied fighters secured aerial supremacy over Europe’s skies, when bomber losses were horrific.
For example, in 1943 some American Eighth Air Force bomber groups recorded a 400 percent turnover in personnel in just three months. At the time, bomber crews were tasked with a 25-mission tour of duty. Most never made it past their fifth mission. Things were even more horrendous for British bomber crews. Out of a total of 125,000 men who flew for RAF Bomber Command, over 55,000 were killed – a 44.4% death rate. A further 8400 were wounded in action, and nearly 10,000 were taken prisoner, for a total loss rate of 58%. Amidst the carnage, there were some amazing survival stories – such as those of airmen who somehow survived falls without parachutes from miles up in the air.
