When reading this story my first thought was, "How could a pilot get so lost, to land by mistake in Wales, thinking it was France? Wales is across the opposite side of the British Isles!"
But then I remember the time in early November 1971, when I made a really dumb mistake as a new Army aviator. I was a 20-year-old, newly-pinned warrant officer, taking my final check-ride in the month-long Cobra helicopter transition course, with orders to Vietnam on December 3rd.
My wife had just told me that she cheated on me with one of my best friends. I was a wreck.
Anyway, I'd somehow managed to complete all the flying maneuvers satisfactorily, even though I was mentally 'behind the aircraft' for most of the hour, and we were coming back to Hunter Army Airfield, near Savannah GA, to land. We got ATC clearance to enter the traffic pattern for landing.
But then, I entered the downwind leg in the wrong direction--against the flow of traffic. I didn't even realize my mistake until the check pilot took the controls and did a quick 180 turn. He landed the aircraft in disgust. Needless to say, I flunked the checkride. I passed a few days later.
So, when my first thought when reading this article was, "How could a pilot get so lost, to land by mistake in Wales, thinking it was France?", my second thought was remembering just one of my own big blunders as a pilot. So, I sympathize with that German lieutenant. Anybody can have a bad day.
Thanks for sharing such a great story. You're not alone in wondering how anyone could make such a mistake. In fact, like much of history, there could be another tale lurking in the shadows. Some have said it was no accident... Instead, it was a defection. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to ever know the complete truth.
This was very interesting! Isn't it also interesting to note that the mission of the Allies was to eradicate the Axis evil, but today we have so many industries left from those years which aided and abetted the Nazi regime, i.e., Bayer, Krupps, Volkswagen, BMW, IGFarben, and on and on. Why were they allowed to flourish? Because the "love of money is the root of all evil."
Reading this has made my day. As today is my birthday and I am looking at making major changes in my life. This gives me even more confidence that I’m going to be using God given Gifts from a lifetime to make a true difference not just in my life but hopefully many many of others as well! Thank you!
Happy birthday, Bill! Reading your comment has made MY day. It's never too late to make changes in your life or to start pursuing God's plan for you. I'm confident that if you follow His lead you will indeed make the changes you hope to make and begin making a difference in other lives as well. I'll pray for God to lead you in the path He has chosen for you!
When reading this story my first thought was, "How could a pilot get so lost, to land by mistake in Wales, thinking it was France? Wales is across the opposite side of the British Isles!"
But then I remember the time in early November 1971, when I made a really dumb mistake as a new Army aviator. I was a 20-year-old, newly-pinned warrant officer, taking my final check-ride in the month-long Cobra helicopter transition course, with orders to Vietnam on December 3rd.
My wife had just told me that she cheated on me with one of my best friends. I was a wreck.
Anyway, I'd somehow managed to complete all the flying maneuvers satisfactorily, even though I was mentally 'behind the aircraft' for most of the hour, and we were coming back to Hunter Army Airfield, near Savannah GA, to land. We got ATC clearance to enter the traffic pattern for landing.
But then, I entered the downwind leg in the wrong direction--against the flow of traffic. I didn't even realize my mistake until the check pilot took the controls and did a quick 180 turn. He landed the aircraft in disgust. Needless to say, I flunked the checkride. I passed a few days later.
So, when my first thought when reading this article was, "How could a pilot get so lost, to land by mistake in Wales, thinking it was France?", my second thought was remembering just one of my own big blunders as a pilot. So, I sympathize with that German lieutenant. Anybody can have a bad day.
Thanks for sharing such a great story. You're not alone in wondering how anyone could make such a mistake. In fact, like much of history, there could be another tale lurking in the shadows. Some have said it was no accident... Instead, it was a defection. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to ever know the complete truth.
This was very interesting! Isn't it also interesting to note that the mission of the Allies was to eradicate the Axis evil, but today we have so many industries left from those years which aided and abetted the Nazi regime, i.e., Bayer, Krupps, Volkswagen, BMW, IGFarben, and on and on. Why were they allowed to flourish? Because the "love of money is the root of all evil."
Reading this has made my day. As today is my birthday and I am looking at making major changes in my life. This gives me even more confidence that I’m going to be using God given Gifts from a lifetime to make a true difference not just in my life but hopefully many many of others as well! Thank you!
Happy birthday, Bill! Reading your comment has made MY day. It's never too late to make changes in your life or to start pursuing God's plan for you. I'm confident that if you follow His lead you will indeed make the changes you hope to make and begin making a difference in other lives as well. I'll pray for God to lead you in the path He has chosen for you!
An amazing story... thanks for sharing it.