[UKönig]

Well, bomber crews had their own superstitions (who wouldn't). And like the U-boats they would be slotted only X number of patrols before they would be retired, protest though they might. With U-boats it was 12 patrols, with bombers it was 30 sorties. After 1943, it became a major accomplishment for a U-boat to survive past its 3rd patrol. Getting up to that magic number for a bomber crew must have been similar. I saw it in a war movie once, so it may not have been wholly accurate, the bit with the Lancaster crew that barbequed their 'lucky' mascot, in the mistaken belief that they were done with it. Oops.