The Story Of The Munich Air Disaster

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On the 6th February 1958 one of the greatest tragedies in world sport occurred. The Munich Air Disaster. 23 passengers and crew who were on board the plane, including 8 Manchester United footballers, were killed when the plane crashed in West Germany. The team were triumphant following a victory in a European cup tie against Red Star Belgrade of Serbia when their plane crashed in appalling weather conditions following its third attempt at a takeoff. What followed were some of the darkest, most distressing scenes the footballing world had ever seen. This is the story of the whole event.
We felt nothing was beyond us as we talked so animatedly and laughed on the return journey from Belgrade. In two days me, and my Manchester United team mates, were to face Arsenal which would have been another game of utter importance to us. The sky was at a very low level and filled with white snow as we came in to land at Munich to refuel. The sky looked dim with no light to be seen anywhere. The slush kept falling, minute by minute, which would make the take-off even more difficult. The sky was telling me what was yet to come.
I was less optimistic of the flight because of my specific dislike for the aircraft that we were travelling on. I had travelled on an aircraft like this before. I had never enjoyed flying, infact; I had been to see a psychiatrist about the problem just weeks before the journey to and from Serbia. Flying was one of my worst nightmares. The first time I had travelled in one it felt like it took an age to get airborne and begin the flight. I was alright after you had begun the ascent as you were assured by the loud roar of the humungous sized engines on either side. Although, I was still tentative about the flight we had sti...

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...nk from then on. I could not see anything. I recall hearing the screams and shouts from my teammates and friends. Then I thought to myself. How, against all odds, am I still here? It’s a miracle.
Now, in hospital I found out the true velocity of what had occurred. 22 of my friends, teammates and fellow passengers were dead and yet there was still one man fighting for his life in the bed beside me. This man was one of my closest friends, Duncan. I turned to look at him. He was a state. I didn’t know how he was going to pull through it. I knew I shouldn’t be thinking this negatively but his injuries were horrific. I didn’t know what to say to him or if to saying nothing at all. Two of my teammates were so severely injured that they were never to play again and others carried huge psychological scars that would affect their life forever. Why had this happened?

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