The only time my Dad had a really close call was when he was on the ground at his base. They had an air raid and he dove into a slit trench. The anti aircraft fire destroyed a JU-88 and one of the heads, with flight helmet, of the German crew landed about three feet from my Dad.
In China, the locals hid my uncle and his crew as they were taken to General Chang's lines. My uncle told me that at least three villages were burned to the ground by the Japs because they found evidence they had been hiding my uncle.
Because of that my uncle always loved the Chinese people.