0:00:02 > 0:00:04BBC Four Collections,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07specially chosen programmes from the BBC Archive.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10For this Collection, Max Hastings has selected interviews
0:00:10 > 0:00:13with Great War veterans, filmed in the 1960s.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15More programmes on this theme
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and other BBC Four Collections
0:00:17 > 0:00:20are available on BBC iPlayer.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54The essential feature of our work in the air was constant attack.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Unlike the Infantry, who had momentsof quiet
0:00:59 > 0:01:02and occasional boutsof combat,
0:01:02 > 0:01:07everytime we crossedthe lines, we were engaged in combat.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09All our work was aggressive.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15And every time we went, we went into battle.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20One of the most thrillingmoments, I think, of my flying life
0:01:20 > 0:01:22occurred at Passchendaele.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28We had instructions that we were toattack ground targets,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30whatever we saw.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34No specific target, anything of the enemy within sight.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40We were told that theheight offlight of the field gun shells
0:01:40 > 0:01:43was 600 feetmaximum above the ground.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47The guns were ranged practically wheelto wheel
0:01:47 > 0:01:51along the front on whichwe were engaged.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Our task was to fly into thattunnel
0:01:55 > 0:01:59below the flight of field gunshells,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03look for any target we couldsee,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05any Germans in trenches,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09enemy machine gun posts, anything at all, shoot it up,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12fly through the tunnel and come out the other end.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18We were warned that we must not tryto fly out sideways.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23If we did, we would almost certainly meet our own shells in flight
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and be brought down by them.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28That would apply whether we turned right or left.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Once we enteredthe tunnel, there was nothing for it
0:02:31 > 0:02:34but to carry on and go through to the very end.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38We flew in pairs, and I led,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40being Flight Commander.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45I and my companion
0:02:45 > 0:02:48flew to the south of the tunnel,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50turned left, entered it,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and instantly we were in an inferno.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59The air was boiling with the turmoil
0:02:59 > 0:03:01of the shells flying through it.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04We were thrownabout in the aircraft,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08rocking from side to side, being thrown up and down.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Below us was mud, filth,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14smashedtrenches, broken wire,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17broken machine gun posts,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19broken limbers,rubbish,
0:03:19 > 0:03:20wreckage of aeroplanes,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23bits of men, and then, in the midstof it all,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25when we were flying at 400 feet,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29I spotted a Germanmachine gun post and went down.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30My companion came behind me,
0:03:30 > 0:03:36and as we dived, we fired four machine guns straight into the post.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39We saw the Germans throwthemselves on the ground.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40We dived at them and sprayed them.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Whether we hit them, we didn'tknow - there was no time to see.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46There was only time to diveand fire,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49climb and zoom, and on to the next target.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53There we saw a number of the grey-greenGerman troops
0:03:53 > 0:03:57lying in holes that were battered trenches that had been trenches
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and were now shell holes.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00We dived on them,fired
0:04:00 > 0:04:04and again we were firing at atarget which we could not assess.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07We were being thrown about and again, a third time,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10we dived on anothertarget, and our ammunition was finished.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15We flew on rocking out ofthat inferno,out of the tunnel
0:04:15 > 0:04:20and escaped, turned left, and I feltthat never, at any time,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24had I passed through such an extraordinaryexperience,
0:04:24 > 0:04:29an experience when we ourselves were shutin by a cloud of shells,
0:04:29 > 0:04:35although aheap of rubble, mud, filth,destruction...
0:04:35 > 0:04:37and real damnation onthe ground,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and there we were, in themidst of that inferno,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42shooting at men who'd cast themselves into themud
0:04:42 > 0:04:44to try and escape our bullets.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49And as we came out of it,having taken not more than tenminutes
0:04:49 > 0:04:51in the passage through thattunnel,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I felt that we had escaped from one of the most evilthings
0:04:55 > 0:04:57that I had ever seen at any time
0:04:58 > 0:05:01in any of the flyingthat occurred to me during that war.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10Passchendaele brought newresponsibilities to us.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14We had a variety of tasks to perform.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18They were detailed for us - we were not freelance.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22We were sent out on distantoffensive patrols,
0:05:22 > 0:05:28or close offensive patrols at statedheights above the ground,
0:05:28 > 0:05:35their object being to attack any enemyaircraft that we might see.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37And they involved us in combats.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42At other times, we were sent out on ground attack patrols
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and sometimes we were sent to escort artillery observationmachines
0:05:46 > 0:05:49carrying outshoots for the gunners.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55One of the combats whichI was involved in
0:05:56 > 0:05:59was of particular interest to me personally,
0:06:00 > 0:06:06because I used tactics whichI had evolved myself.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10I decided that the only way in whichwe could ensure
0:06:10 > 0:06:14that our Camels would be above the Germans when we met them
0:06:14 > 0:06:17was to...
0:06:17 > 0:06:21give them a false idea of theheight at which we were flying.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25So I decided to make three sweeps over the enemy lines, returning
0:06:25 > 0:06:30each time to our side and climbing before making the next sweep.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I swept over on the firstsweep at 11,000 feet,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37and we saw no enemy aircraft at all.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Coming back, I climbed for2,000 feet
0:06:40 > 0:06:42and swept over at 13,000,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45and again we saw no enemy aircraft.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49On the third sweep, I went 2,000 feet higher
0:06:49 > 0:06:51and crossed over at 15,000,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and when we werewell back behind the German lines,
0:06:54 > 0:07:00well away from the trenches, we saw an enemy fighter squadron coming up -
0:07:00 > 0:07:03eight Albatross scouts with their noses pointing up at us
0:07:03 > 0:07:06climbing for all they were worth totry and reach our height.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11But we had succeeded in getting above them.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13When we were in withinstriking distance,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18we still had 300 feet in hand and we went down on them straightaway.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22I led our six Camels straightin amongst them,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24singling out the leader for myself,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and wentfor him with both my guns blazing.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30The other Camels on either side of me
0:07:30 > 0:07:33each picked out one of the German aircraft.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38I dived down and shot that fellow and went on past him down below.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Next instant, I found an enemyaircraft on my tail
0:07:42 > 0:07:44and I heard the machine guns rattling,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and splinters weregoing off the rear spar of my Camel
0:07:47 > 0:07:49just inches above my head.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53I saw the centre section rip up and I turned and swerved
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and got out of his line of fire and back intoposition
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and back into the fight.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Within two minutes of the beginningof that fight,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05there wasn't an enemy machine to beseen in the sky anywhere,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and some little distanceaway, 22 Squadron,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13flying Bristol fighters, was passing not far from us and they reported
0:08:13 > 0:08:17that they had seen one of those German machines go down in flames.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21That, I believe, was the German leader.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Every other German machine wascompletely scattered.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29Our formation re-formed, got back, finished our patrol.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32We had used up almostall our ammunition.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35When we returned to the airfield, every machine returned safely,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and not one of the otheraircraft was damaged.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41My centre section was soon changed,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45and the aircraft wasready for flying again withina couple of hours.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48That was one of the most successful snap combats
0:08:48 > 0:08:50in which I was ever engaged.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53There were others, of course, whichlasted very much longer.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56The longest flight wasa running fight
0:08:56 > 0:08:58which lasted for 23 minutes,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01engagedagainst the Richthofen Squadron.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02That was a running fightto enable us
0:09:02 > 0:09:07to get photographs of men on railway stations for Army headquarters.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10We escorted the photographicmachine back safely,
0:09:10 > 0:09:16but, unfortunately, in doing so, we lost three of our own aircraft,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18two of which went down in flames,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and we were only able to bring down two of the German aircraft
0:09:21 > 0:09:23on that particular occasion.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27During this fighting, there was,undoubtedly,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29a sense of chivalry in the air.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32We did not feel that we wereshooting at men,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34we did not want to kill men -
0:09:34 > 0:09:37we werereallytrying to shoot down the machines.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Our enemies were notthe men in the machines -
0:09:39 > 0:09:42our enemies were the machinesthemselves.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45It was a case of our machine isbetter than yours
0:09:45 > 0:09:49and let's down yours, almost like a game of ninepins.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53A game of skill, a game in which we pitted ourselves against them,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and they pittedthemselves against us,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59each to prove the otherthe better man.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01It was a...difficult game,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05a game in which, in combat, we were swirling round
0:10:05 > 0:10:09without regard for horizon or any otheraspect of flight.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12We had been trained to fly with our noses on the horizon
0:10:12 > 0:10:18so we could keep our aircraft level, so that we could turn right or left,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22roll the machines in accordance withthe horizon which we could see,
0:10:22 > 0:10:27but in flight, in combat, there was no horizon - there was only a sphere.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31We flew like goldfish in a bowl, in all directions,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35swimming around the sky, sometimes standing on our tails,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39sometimes with our heads right down, sometimes over on our backs,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42sometimes at rightangles to the ground.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Any attitude.The only attitude which enabledthe nose of the aircraft
0:10:45 > 0:10:48to point where we wanted it topoint in the direction of the enemy
0:10:49 > 0:10:51so that the guns couldregister hits.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56It was an fantastic type of flying, and our machines could turn
0:10:56 > 0:11:00in such tiny circles that we simply swervedround
0:11:00 > 0:11:03in an amazingly small spaceof air,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07missing each other sometimes by inches as we swerved,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11missing enemy aircraft, missing our ownaircraft,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14dodging in and out amongstthe others in the sky,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16weavingin the most fantastic patterns
0:11:16 > 0:11:24and aiming, all the time, to place our noses where they ought to be.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28There was a world of difference
0:11:29 > 0:11:32between work in the trenches and work in the air.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37I spent 16 and a half months in front-line trench work
0:11:38 > 0:11:39and ten and a half months
0:11:39 > 0:11:43onfront-line service in the air afterwards.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Both combat service, of course.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50The idea of trenches
0:11:50 > 0:11:52and the idea of fighting in the air
0:11:52 > 0:11:55involved two differentsensations,
0:11:55 > 0:12:01two different complexes, mentally and even physically.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05The conditions were so entirely different.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07In the trenches, on the ground,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11one had the comradeship of menall about one.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16One knew they were there, at a moment,ready to support one.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19They were a moral support as wellas a physical support.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22One had the sense of communication with them,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24one could speak to them, they spoke to one.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27And we knew that, all the time, they were there,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and each one helpedthe other,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34bearing the other up, almost like a pyramid of strength.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37In the air, things were different.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40We were far more individualistic.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Even when we flew in formations, we'd no means of communication,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46one with the other, except by rockingthe wings
0:12:46 > 0:12:49or making some particularmotion of the aircraft
0:12:49 > 0:12:53or by firinga Very light or by waving a hand.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56We'd no othermeans of communication at all.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59And the sensation wasentirely different.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Spirituallyand emotionally, we were shut in,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05we were self-contained individuals.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08We did not have the feeling of the community spirit
0:13:08 > 0:13:10that we had known on the ground,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14and everything had to be thoughtand actioned
0:13:14 > 0:13:16on the partof the one individual.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21He was entirely and inseparably alone,
0:13:21 > 0:13:26even when he looked outside and saw the known machines beside him,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29even then, he still felt himselfshut in
0:13:29 > 0:13:30in this machine,
0:13:30 > 0:13:35responsible, almost entirely, for himself and every action.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38In combat, it was the individualin the machine
0:13:38 > 0:13:42who had to make the decisions, not the man outside.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It might be that the leader led others into action,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49but once action was joined, every manhad to fend for himself.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51On the ground, on the other hand,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55you had the sense of all men working together, going over in a line.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57You were not separated, you were not individuals,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01you were one of a multitude, acting as a multitude acts,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and there was not the samesense
0:14:03 > 0:14:06of being thrown into spiritualand emotional isolation,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08as we found in the air.
0:14:08 > 0:14:14On the ground, we had the comradeshipof the men around us.
0:14:14 > 0:14:20We had the intimate society of beingthrown together all the time,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23both in the line and out of it.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28In the line, one had the constantsupport of the men
0:14:28 > 0:14:31who were beside one.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35One knew that they were there, they would back one up,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37and one would back them up.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40And we had a feeling of community,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44a feeling that we were alltogether in the same thing,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46each helping the other,
0:14:46 > 0:14:51each one the intimate and immediate companion
0:14:51 > 0:14:53of allthe men about him.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58In the air, when we wereflying, at that time,
0:14:58 > 0:15:04there was no question of any contactwith the ground.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10Once we left the ground, we were individual and alone.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14We could transmitsignals by means of Very lights,
0:15:14 > 0:15:20but those Very lights had only fourcolours at the most,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and that restricted us to four types of signal.
0:15:23 > 0:15:29We could drop message bags toforward reporting stations
0:15:29 > 0:15:34where we had to drop messages of what we hadseen in the air
0:15:34 > 0:15:37so that the peopleon the ground could obtain thatinformation
0:15:37 > 0:15:39as quickly as possible.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43These message bags were simplycoloured streamers,
0:15:43 > 0:15:48red and yellow, of canvas, linen canvas,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52lead-weighted in a heavy canvas pocket,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55andwe scribbled a message in pencil onpaper,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59stuffed it in the pocket and threw the message bag overboard
0:15:59 > 0:16:04sothat it would arrive on the ground very near the reporting station.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06These were the onlymeans of communication
0:16:06 > 0:16:08that we had with the ground.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12The aircraft Iflew never carried wireless,
0:16:12 > 0:16:17so we had no means of transmitting any messages in that way at all.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Our aircraft were fighting aircraft.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24First of all, two-seater Sopwith, one and a half strutters,
0:16:24 > 0:16:30with 110 horsepower and then 130horsepower rotary engine,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and they were called FighterReconnaissance Aircraft.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35And our duty was to fight our own way
0:16:35 > 0:16:39over theGerman lines to any designated point
0:16:39 > 0:16:45where photographs were required or a reconnaissance by eye was necessary.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Later, we were equipped in exchange
0:16:48 > 0:16:52with single-seater Camel scout fighters,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and their work was quite different from the two-seater.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59The two-seaters could fly for over four hours,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02the Camels could only fly for about twohours,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and their duty was to fight.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09The extraordinary thing, in my experience,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13was that, in all mytime in France,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Inever met a Germanscout on our side of the lines.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22Every German fighter I ever met was on his side of the lines
0:17:22 > 0:17:24and usually well behind.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27We did find German reconnaissance aircraft
0:17:27 > 0:17:29comeover our side of thelines
0:17:29 > 0:17:34very highup and very difficult to attack
0:17:34 > 0:17:38because of the extremeheight at which they flew.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42I found that, in the trenches,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45we lived a totally differentkind of life
0:17:45 > 0:17:49from that whichwe knew in the air.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53In the trenches, we had work to do day and night.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55We had vile conditions.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00Sometimes, in the summertime, the conditions weren't too bad.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05When we took over from the French, on one occasion, down south,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10we found ourselves in trenches cut outof solid chalk,
0:18:10 > 0:18:16and in front of us stretched 800 yards of open ground
0:18:16 > 0:18:18between our trenches and the German.
0:18:18 > 0:18:24And that open stretch was scattered with red, blossoming poppies.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27A very lovely sight.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30The French, we learned, did not believe in getting close
0:18:30 > 0:18:32until they wanted to attack.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Our policy, in the British Army, wasalways to close up
0:18:36 > 0:18:41as fast as we could and get into immediate contact with the Germans.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44No sooner did we take over from the French there,
0:18:44 > 0:18:50than we started to sap out,dig out trenches, throw out forwardlines
0:18:50 > 0:18:55and gradually close up until we were within contact with them.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Further north, where the ground conditions were very wet,
0:19:00 > 0:19:06we entered trenches where the water was swilling about our feet
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and sometimes up to our waists.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12One trench in which I entered
0:19:12 > 0:19:15wasnothing more than a fieldditch
0:19:15 > 0:19:18with the mud from the bottomscooped out
0:19:18 > 0:19:21and thrown up to makea slippery parapet.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24As we marched up that trench
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and up to the observation post that we had to man,
0:19:27 > 0:19:32the water was running past us, rising higher andhigher
0:19:32 > 0:19:35until it reached our chests.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37When we reached the observation post,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41there we had to place tables and chairs on the ground
0:19:41 > 0:19:43and stand on the chairs and tables
0:19:43 > 0:19:48to keep as much as possible of ourselves out of the water.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51We found, in the winter, when it froze,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55that our difficulty was to prevent frostbite.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59We could find even our gumboots filled with water
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and in the morning, sometimes wecould not strip them off,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05because they werefrozen to our feet.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Frostbite in the feet and trench feet
0:20:08 > 0:20:13were the enemies of the infantryman in the front line trenches.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18In the air, the airman faced frostbite on his face and hands,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20not on his feet.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24We were warmly clad in the air
0:20:24 > 0:20:29and, except for winter clothing, which was issued to thetroops
0:20:29 > 0:20:33in the form of sheepskincoats or leather jerkins,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35we were not warmly clad
0:20:36 > 0:20:40in the regimentI was in which wore the kilt.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46We wore the kilt and we had noprotection under the kilt at all.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48We were bare under the kilt.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52And when we came out of muddytrenches,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55our kilts were caked and plastered with mud
0:20:55 > 0:20:58thatdried as we marched along.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03And aswe moved back to our billets behindthe lines,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06we found the swinging kilt rubbing on the back of our thighs
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and the back of our knees
0:21:08 > 0:21:12until thecaked mud and the kilt cut the skin
0:21:12 > 0:21:16and made our legs raw at the back,
0:21:16 > 0:21:22gradually erasing the skin by minute cuts every time the kilt swung.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25We had no suchexperiences in the Flying Corps.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30In the Flying Corps, we lived in comfort on an airfield
0:21:30 > 0:21:32some way behind the lines.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37We had a comfortable mess, we had regular nights' sleep,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42unless we were disturbed by bombing, which was not very frequent.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Flying in the war breda new type of man,
0:21:48 > 0:21:53a man whose attitude to living and fighting was distinct
0:21:53 > 0:21:55from thatof any other men in the war.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01We who fought in the air had tofight two things.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05We had to fight the element we flew in, in frail machines,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and we had to fight the enemy.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14We had tremendous isolation thatdrove us in upon ourselves,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18and it was only when we were on the ground, in our messes,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21enjoying the companionship we had there
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and the music we had onour gramophones,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29that we felt againthe companionship of other men.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35It was, I feel, the tremendous isolation in the air,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39the fact that we werecontinually on the alert,
0:22:39 > 0:22:45both for the safety of our own aircraftin stormy weather
0:22:45 > 0:22:49and against the enemy whomwe had to fight.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53And the fact that we had tolook in front of us, above us,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56around us, behind us and below us.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00We had to develop an entirely newsense of sight, of vision.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02The enemy might be anywhere.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04On the ground, the enemy was ahead.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07In the air, he might be anywhere.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09And so we had to manoeuvre,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12we had to live an entirely differentkind of life -
0:23:12 > 0:23:14we had to live a life within a sphere
0:23:15 > 0:23:18instead of a life which was horizontal on the ground.