Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. C496

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941.
Aircrew a No. 77 Squadron RAF Detachment at Villeneuve/Vertus, France, prepare to board Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mark V, N1357 'KN-H', for a leaflet-dropping ("Nickelling") sortie to Prague and Vienna. The leather 'apron' worn by the air gunner on the left is the unzipped trousers section of his two-piece Irvin flying suit. N1357 was shot down on the night of 27/28 March 1940, after straying into neutral Holland while returning from a similar mission to the Ruhr.