26. A Tense Meeting
During his forced descent, Captain Partridge had spotted a dwelling near his intended landing site, which turned out to be a reindeer hunter’s hut. After crash landing, he and Bostock trudged through high snow drifts to find shelter there. No sooner had the British airmen made it to the hut, shaken off the snow, and started to warm themselves, than a piercing whistle alerted them that others were in the area. Through the swirling snow, they saw three figures approaching their hut: the downed Heinkel’s surviving crew.
Understandably, the Germans men were not in a good mood, alternating between scowls and shouts, and wildly gesticulating as they brandished pistols and knives while approaching the British airmen. The Germans were in a dangerous frame of mind, unlikely to let bygones be bygones and be good sports if they came across those who had shot them down. So to save their lives, Partridge and Bostock lied.