An English pilot survived being shot through the stomach in midair only thanks to a fortunate landing spot on September 27, 1940.

At the height of the Battle of Britain, Victor Ekins was behind the controls of a Hurricane V6672 fighter over the south of England.

In a dogfight with a German Me-110, his plane was gunned down.

An English pilot survived being shot through the stomach in midair only thanks to a fortunate landing spot on September 27, 1940. (Imperial War Museums)

A bullet passed through Ekins’ back, out his stomach and into his Hurricane’s controls, rendering the plane inoperable.

At this moment he was 5700m above the ground.

But despite an unresponsive plane and a critical injury, Ekins was able to jump out and parachute down to the ground.

Landing in the English countryside with no way of calling for help may well have been a death sentence for a seriously wounded pilot.

But by pure chance, Ekins landed in just about the most fortuitous place – the base camp for a Canadian military ambulance unit.

An English pilot survived being shot through the stomach in midair only thanks to a fortunate landing spot on September 27, 1940. (Supplied)

They were able to treat him and rush him to a nearby hospital.

Ekins returned to his squadron just two months later.

He survived the war and was released from the RAF as a squadron leader. 

He then returned to his family business as a farm surveyor.

More than 1500 RAF aircrew died during the Battle of Britain, including 24 Australians.

The Luftwaffe lost an estimated 2585 aircrew during the battle.