A God in Ruins

Teddy is on a bombing run with his flight squadron. It is the final operation of their tour, and they are all anxious. Only one in six crews makes it through their first tour. Teddy reminisces about how he met each of the men in his crew, and the first night they spent drinking together. Each of the men has a different good-luck charm or superstition, and Teddy tries to remember them all as they come closer to their target, flying through heavy fire. Teddy’s charm is the silver hare that Ursula gave to him. On their most dangerous mission, their plane had been struck several times. After landing back at the airfield, the rear of the plane had been on fire, and a gunner named Kenny was stuck in the back, trying to wriggle out through the wreckage before the flames could get him. He narrowly escaped. However, one other man had been unaccounted for: Harold Wilkinson. Teddy assumed he had parachuted out, but he was never found. 

They are hit by cannon fire and their plane begins to lose altitude. They crash land over the sea and manage to get everyone out and onto a dinghy.