5. A British Pilot Selflessly Prevented an Attack on Buckingham Palace after Ramming a German Bomber with his Wing
Before the war Sergeant Ray Holmes was a journalist and after the war he was known as the man who saved Buckingham Palace.
He joined the RAFVR in 1937 and in 1940 he was assigned to the No. 504 Squadron. On September 15th, 1940 he was flying his Hawker Hurricane through what had become a typical aerial battle, bringing down the bombers that sought to destroy London. However, this time he spotted a damaged German bomber heading in the direction of Buckingham Palace. In a daring attempt to protect the historical royal residence Ray Holmes faced the German bomber head on and avoided the return fire.
Yet when Ray tried to fire his machine guns and take down the enemy plane, his guns failed. So with no other option and knowing he had to save the palace he flew his plane right into the German bomber. Hoping that his Hurricane would be strong enough to drive through the German plane and come out the other side. The wing of his plane took off the tail of the enemy bomber and it crashed near Victoria station. Ray’s Hurricane was also badly damaged in the collision and but he bailed out and safely landed on a London apartment complex.
He was heralded a hero and his story became a thing of London legend. 65 years later, National Geographic Channel aired a special documentary called The Search for the Lost Fighter Plane in which Ray’s Hurricane is finally excavated from the London rubble.