Hero WWII airman freed frozen bomb with axe as he dangled out of aircraft by his legs at 11,000ft

A HERO WWII airman freed a frozen bomb with an axe as he dangled out of the aircraft by his legs at 11,000ft.

Flight Sergeant James Oldham chipped away at ice on the 4,000lb ordnance for 20 minutes while peppered by enemy flak.

BNPS

Hulton Archive - Getty

Two crewmates held on to his legs until they were finally able to push the bomb away with their feet — scoring a direct hit on the target below.

Flt Sgt Oldham’s remarkable exploits emerged as his Distinguished Flying Medal was put up for sale, 72 years on.

The navigator was 21 when he was sent on an RAF raid over Tunisia in World War Two.

But the bomb became frozen as the crew flew their Wellington towards the target.

While two chipped at the ­couplings, Flt Sgt Oldham used the axe to cut a hole in the fuselage for his head and shoulders.

From there, he worked on the bomb from the outside before his colleagues finished the task.

A report from the time said: “When finally they succeeded in getting most of the ice away they pushed it into space with their feet and watched it burst with a terrific flash smack in the target area.”

Cheshire-born Flt Sgt Oldham clocked up at least 43 sorties during the war.

He was awarded the DFM in 1943 but was killed in action during a raid in the Normandy battle zone in July 1944.

His medal is being sold at an auction in London on September 11. It has an estimate of £2,200 to £2,400.