An off topic anecdote...

...as the veterans of WW2 fade away, I treasure moments with them. 20 minutes ago a stooped elderly bloke told me this...He was a pilot, ending the war flying Mosquitoes. In 1943 or 44, he ferried Hurricane fighters to a Russian base. These aircraft were modified into tank busters, fitted (he says) with twin 40mm. cannon (!)altering their centre of gravity significantly. (Illustration left shows a Hurricane tank buster in action in the Tunisia.) On delivery, and after signing the aircraft over to the Russians he was surprised to find out that ground crew were allowed to taxi the aircraft into dispersal bays. His aircraft while being moved clipped another's wing tip causing slight damage to both planes. Horrified, he watched as the Russian officer present hauled the hapless and careless ground crewman from the cockpit and shot him on the spot through the back of the head...At the war's end and well into 1946, he continued to fly Mosquitoes over Russian occupied Germany to show Churchill's resolve and demonstrate capability. He was never fired upon, but his experiences made him cautious about his ruthless allies...