The 20th mission for bombardier navigator 'Bill' Lester with George Alter's crew was in support of the Allied troops fighting the Battle of the Bulge. The weather was foul and two engines had been disabled by flak as the pilots fought to keep the plane level and Bill tried to plot a course for friendly territory. When he estimated they had passed over the battle area the pilot ordered the crew to bail out. 
On landing Bill was first greeted by a farmer who didn't appear to understand that they were Americans and then by a man carrying a machine-gun. To his surprise the farmer spoke good English and told him that the second man was Belgian BFI (Resistance) and suspected him of being a German spy. The farmer - a Mr. DeVos- finally convinced the gunman that Bill was not a German dressed in American uniform and invited Bill back to the farmhouse. There he found that the rest of his crew were safely gathered at the local police station where he joined them 'It was a fantastic moment to know all of us were OK'. 
A truck ferried them to a British airbase 'where we received food,lodging and friendship'. En route to Brussels they were shown where their plane had crashed-landed hitting the rooms of a very old woman who happened to have left the house for the first time in months; a very lucky escape as 50 calibre bullets were flying in every direction. From Brussels they flew in a DC3 back to England, landing up in London from where - they had been informed - the Red Cross would help them return to base. To their amazement the Director of the Red Cross refused to give them any assistance. As they were leaving the premises the Director's aide who had been listening insisted on giving them his own money for the train fares back to Bungay. 
The crew returned to Flixton AFB on Christmas Eve, were first sent away for seven days R and R then resumed flying on 15th January 1945; their 35th and final mission in March. 'Our crew was the best.....as well as being very special people'.