There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free. Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app. As a member of NoisorPlus at noisor.com or in Apple Podcasts, or you can get all of above the Sahara Desert in East Libya one year into World War II.

24-year-old British pilot officer Rualdahl dips the wing of his fighter plane and searches the ground for his destination.

After joining the Royal Air Force last month, Rural received orders to support the squadron battling Italy for control of North Africa.

Rual was assured that his squadron's air base was in this area, but as dusk falls, he can't find it and he's almost out of fuel.

With one last check of the horizon, Rurall realizes he's going to have to land here in the desert

and hope for the best.

Ruhal throttles back, swings his plane toward a flat area of sand, and descends to the ground.

As gently as possible, Rualt touches

down and applies the brake. But as he skids and shudders to a stop, one of his wheels

hits a boulder, concealed by the sand. The plane's nose is pulled violently to the ground,

and Ruald's head snaps forward, hitting a sharp metal gun site.

At the same time, the aircraft's fuel tank ruptures and then ignites.

Now only semi-conscious, Ruhal uses the last of his energy to unclip his harness and

try to crawl out of the cockpit.

Heaving himself out of the plane, Ruralo drops to the ground,

and then begins to hear bullets fly through the air.

Confused and terrified, Rural wonders if he stumbled onto an enemy position,

but then realizes it's his plane's own machine guns that are firing off in the heat of the fire.

All Ruhal can do is crawl a few yards away

before he slumps into the sand

unconscious. Ruhol will later learn that the location he was given for his squadron's

airbase was incorrect. His crash landing occurs in a no-man's land between the British and

...