World War Two hero's medals go up for sale: Bomber pilot survived falling 600ft from his plane without a parachute then escaped from under the noses of the Nazis

 The amazing survival of a hero Bomber Command pilot who fell 600ft from the sky and lived after his plane was shot down can be revealed after his bravery medals emerged for sale for £5,000.

Wing Commander Terence Helfer was blown out of the cockpit of his Hudson light-bomber after it came under attack by a German nightfighter during a secret Special Operations raid in March 1945.His back, uniform and parachute pack caught fire, resulting in him plummeting to the ground.

He somehow survived the impact of the landing in a ploughed field.

The medals of Wing Commander Terence Helfer (pictured showing his injuries), who survived a 600ft fall from his plane after it was shot down in 1945 over Luxembourg, are being auctioned this week

Wing Commander Terence Helfer survived not only being shot down in March 1945, but also crash landing in the North Sea in 1941 and in September 1945

Terence Helfer lived to 90 years old in spite of all the brushes with death he had during the war

The pilot of the Lockheed Hudson was on a secret mission to drop three Belgian Special Operations Executive agents behind enemy lines.

Helfer was the only survivor from the plane that crashed near Maulusmühle, the other three crewmembers and three Belgian SOE Agents were killed.

Badly burnt and temporarily blinded, Wg Cmdr Helfer picked himself up and ran to the nearest village while trying to avoid German troops.

He knocked on the door of the first house he reached but the home owner, a priest, shouted from a window to go away before Wg Cmdr Heller pleaded: 'Je suis Anglais!'

The priest and his housekeeper smothered him in flour and wrapped him in a sheet to help with his burns.

The next day they contacted the Americans who came to collect the stricken British airman.

But, after mistaking his RAF flying boots for German footwear, they started kicking him.

The priest shouted at them to stop and they removed the sheet to reveal Wg Cmdr Helfer's identity.

The troops apologised and hid him in a Jeep before driving him to a base from where he could fly back to England.

This took five days and he could often hear gunfire whizzing near him while in complete darkness.

Terence Helfer was burned and left temporarily blind after being shot down from his plane

Wing Commander Terence Helfer with his squadron's mascot

When Wing Commander Helfer woke up in a field after being shot down he though he was in Germany and starting running immediatelyShare

Wg Cmdr Helfer, from Torquay, Devon, had skin grafts at the burns department in Horton Hospital, Epsom, Surrey, where he spent three months recuperating.

Such was his devotion to duty, he returned to the cockpit and carried on flying for 40 years.

Wg Cmdr Helfer was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Force Cross for his gallantry throughout his distinguished RAF career.

His story can be told after his family put his medals and logbooks up for sale with auctioneers Bearnes, Hampton & Littlewood, of Exeter, Devon.

The archive also includes his own dramatic account of the incident on his 26th sortie (flying operations against the enemy) on March 10, 1945 and a harrowing photo showing his facial injuries after the incident. 

His log book says matter-of-factly of the raid: 'Operations Germany. Failed to return from operation - shot down by nightfighter.'

But his own account describes his dramatic escape in more detail. It reads: 'I lost my crew, and the aircraft I was in was hit by a nightfighter.

'The whole thing blew up in mid-air and I was blown out of the cockpit.

'We were only at about 600ft, and I remember hitting my head.

'I just pulled my chute, but it didn't open properly.

'The whole thing was on fire, my back was on fire, my uniform was on fire, and I fell into the middle of a ploughed field.

'I jumped up straight away and ran because I thought I was in Germany.' 

The pilot's medals are up for auction, for the price of £5,000

Among Helfer's collection of medals and badges are the rare Goldfish Club badge and Caterpillar Club badge

Wg Cmdr Helfer. who served in 161 Special Duties Squadron, also twice crash-landed damaged aircraft in in the North Sea, in September 1941 and September 1945.

On both occasions, his crew spent several days in a dinghy before being rescued.

He received a Goldfish Club badge, for surviving a sea landing, to go with his Caterpillar Club badge for parachuting out of a burning plane.

Brian Goodison-Blanks, specialist at Bearnes, Hampton & Littlewood, said: 'Wing Commander Terrence Helfer's wartime career is simply quite amazing.

'Having been shot down twice and becoming a member of both the Goldfish club and a member of the Caterpillar Club, his medal group, log books and photographs will not doubt reach above the pre-sale estimate.'

The sale takes place tomorrow, March 8.