Gunner's call

"Corkscrew right, go!" In WWII, bomber crews' best defence against night fighters was not to be seen. RAF air gunners were trained not to open fire unless they felt they had to, because doing so immediately gave away the position of their aircraft.

The gunners were the bomber's eyes and if a German night fighter was spotted the first response was evasion. A gunner's intercom shout would cue the pilot to throw the big aircraft into diving and climbing turns. And if it was obvious they had been seen by the predator, firing the .303 machine guns at close range - below about 400 yards - was at least a deterrent and might even cause damage.