Nicholas Alkemade
Nicholas Stephen Alkemade (10 December 1922 – 22 June 1987) was an English tail gunner in the Royal Air Force during World War II who survived a freefall of 18,000 feet (5,490 m) without a parachute when abandoning his out-of-control, burning Avro Lancaster heavy bomber over Germany.
Nicholas Alkemade | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nicholas Stephen Alkemade |
| Born | 10 December 1922 Loughborough, Leicestershire |
| Died | 22 June 1987 (aged 64) Liskeard, Cornwall, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Rank | Flight Sergeant |
| Unit | No. 115 Squadron RAF |
| Wars | Second World War |
War service
On the night of 24 March 1944, 21-year-old Alkemade was one of seven crew members in Avro Lancaster B Mk. II, DS664, of No. 115 Squadron RAF.[1] Returning from a 300-bomber-raid on Berlin, east of Schmallenberg, DS664 was attacked by a German Junkers Ju 88 night-fighter—flown by Hauptmann Gerhard Friedrich of Nachtjagdgeschwader 6—and caught fire and began to spiral out of control. Because his parachute had gone up in flames and thus was unserviceable, Alkemade jumped from the aircraft without it, preferring to die by impact rather than burn to death. He fell 18,000 feet (5,500 m) to the ground below.
His fall was broken by pine trees and a soft snow cover on the ground. He was able to move his arms and legs and suffered only a sprained leg. The Lancaster crashed in flames, killing pilot Jack Newman and three other members of the crew. They are buried in the Hanover War Cemetery.
Alkemade was subsequently captured and interviewed by the Gestapo, who were initially suspicious of his claim to have fallen without a parachute until the wreckage of the aircraft was examined. The Germans gave Alkemade a certificate testifying to the fact.[2] He was a celebrated prisoner of war, before being repatriated in May 1945.
Later life
Alkemade worked in the chemical industry after the war. He appeared on the ITV series Just Amazing!, a programme where former motorcycle racer Barry Sheene interviewed people who had, through accident or design, achieved feats of daring and survival.
He died on 22 June 1987.
See also
- Alan Magee, American airman who survived a 22,000-foot (6,700 m) fall from his damaged B-17 in 1943
- Ivan Chisov, Soviet airforce lieutenant who survived falling from his aircraft in 1942
- Juliane Koepcke, German teenager who survived a 3,000-metre (9,800 ft) fall after her flight broke up over the Peruvian Amazon in 1971
- Vesna Vulović, Serbian flight attendant who survived the 10,000-metre (33,000 ft) mid-air breakup of her aircraft in 1972
References
- "Record for Lancaster DS664". lostaircraft.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- Revell, G. (24 December 2014). "The Indestructible Alkemade". RAF Museum. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
External links
- Parachute History Website
- Air Scene UK - An Airman's war
- Video clip of Alkemade recounting the event