Some airmen are lucky to survive a certain brush with death, such as the crew of this 614 Squadron RAF Handley Page Halifax which survived a direct hit from an anti-aircraft rocket. Shrapnel from the exploding missile tore hundreds of holes in the fuselage, yet the crew managed to nurse the crippled bomber back to their base at Celone, Italy (part of the more famous Foggia Airfield complex). It's a frightening image of the shredding effect of anti-aircraft detonations. The aircraft was written off. Photo: Imperial War Museum
A British cruiser firing its 4 inch twin AA guns. See how far the empty shell cases have been fired by the automatic ejectors and the trails of smoke from the hot case.