For all their intensive training, aircrew were the most vulnerable of forces in WW2; in Bomber Command, the chance of survival was 55%. What made young Kiwi men volunteer for these roles, and how did they cope with the stress of combat? What happened when they came home and were told to forget about the war?

Dr Barbara Smith has drawn on years if nursing such veterans in their old age to record the erbatim stories of aircrew; growing up in New Zealand, serving in WW2, returning to peacetime New Zealand, and establishing careers and families. Looking back at how this time of drama and danger shaped their lives, these New Zealanders considered themselves to be just ordinary men.