The Price of Victory
The Battle of Britain had a human cost. 544 RAF pilots paid the ultimate price by giving their lives. There were others who suffered in another way. The combination of high-octane aviation fuel and incendiary bullets made the risk of "flaming out" huge for airmen in this era. Many aircrew only managed to escape the flames of their burning aircraft after sustaining first degree burns covering their faces, hands and other parts of their bodies. Crash-landings also sometime resulted in complete disfigurement. For these men the road to recovery was long, hard and painful. Yet they were remarkabl y lucky too -- due to one man: Dr. Archibald McIndoe In an age when plastic surgery was still in its infancy, reconstructing faces was largely an experimental process. British airmen were lucky to have the services of one of the great pioneers in this field of medicine: the talented and compassionate New Zealand plastic surgeon Dr. Archibald McIndoe. Over 600 patients benefited...