He crash lands his shot up Spitfire in a field, thinks "Well that wasn't too bad", and then suddenly, mysteriously, an English lady shows up next to his cockpit, with a cup of tea. That is the most English anecdote I have ever heard.

My Aunt Muriel, aged 19 volunteered to help make the Beaufighter, She took shelter in that air raid shelter. She had no chance, may God bless her, as valiant as any spitfire pilot.

That is by far the best, rarest, most detailed and utterly respectful air combat treatment I have ever seen. Just astounding all the hard research you must've put into it, just incredible.

My hats off to the Brits. All of them, the fighter pilots, the ground crew and the civilians.....all brave and stout as iron. I lift my hand and heart, a Yank from across the pond, in a warm cheer of "Well done!"

Thank you for such a detailed analysis. I think my aunt Peggy was on nursing duty at Filton that day and had to enter the wrecked shelters looking for survivors. In the 1950s there was the wreckage of an He111 still visible in the mud just east of the entrance to Portishead harbour off Portbury.

Great stuff guys. What hits me most clearly out of all this, is just how rare survival was for all involved, including home defence fighter crew. Air combat is a tough business.

Thanks so much for making this film and posting it for us to have available. It’s a touching tale of the way that war blights the lives of so many…