Stories from Bomber Command veterans
Bomber Command veterans in the East Midlands have been speaking about their experiences in World War II.
Lancaster Bomber pilot Sqn Ldr John Mitchell, 94, from Lincolnshire, who was based at RAF Station Langar near Nottinghamshire, thought he would not return from raids on Germany.
Navigator Flt Lt James Hudson, 96, who flew Lancasters and was based at Wymswold, Leicestershire, said he would not "be here today if we didn't do what we did" in the war.
By the end of the conflict the East Midlands was home to 35 bomber stations.
A national memorial will be unveiled later in June to remember the 55,000 servicemen who died serving with the command during the war.