An English pilot survived being shot through the stomach in midair only thanks to a fortunate landing spot on September 27, 1940 .

At the height of the Battle of Britain, Victor Ekins was behind the controls of a Hurricane V6672 fighter over the south of England.

In a dogfight with a German Me-110, his plane was gunned down.

A bullet passed through Ekins' back, out his stomach and into his Hurricane's controls, rendering the plane inoperable.

At this moment he was 5700m above the ground.

But despite an unresponsive plane and a critical injury, Ekins was able to jump out and parachute down to the ground.

Landing in the English countryside with no way of calling for help may well have been a death sentence for a seriously wounded pilot.

But by pure chance, Ekins landed in just a

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