Flying Officer Philip Picot died at the controls of his Lancaster as it returned from bombing Essen in the early hours of 12 December.
Five of the seven crew, who would become prisoners of war, managed to bail out after the aircraft was hit by a German fighter, its bullets piercing the fuel tank.
Despite giving the order to abandon the aircraft, Mr Picot fought to bring the four-engined bomber under control.
His efforts failed when a flaming wing was ripped off.
This week Stuart Boynton (83), the Lancaster’s navigator, has come to Jersey to meet Mr Picot’s family, including his two daughters and three sisters.
It is the first time Mr Boynton, a Yorkshireman, has been in contact with his former pilot’s family since 1945, when he made a fleeting visit to the Island to meet Mr Picot’s widow, Adèle.
It has been an emotional week for all involved, as Mr Boynton has detailed the last weeks, days and seconds of Mr Picot’s life – a man of whom his two daughters, Jackie de Gruchy (65) and Betty-Claire Rive (62) have only hazy memories.
