In the first of a three-part series on the Munich disaster, Daniel Taylor tells the story of what happened on that fateful day in 1958
It is 66 years since the Munich air disaster robbed English football of one of its greatest young teams. Eight players from Sir Matt Busby’s brilliant side were killed when the plane carrying them crashed on February 6, 1958, and two more were so badly injured they never played again. Fifteen others aboard also died. To mark the anniversary, and as a tribute to those who were lost, The Athletic has produced a special series of pieces.
” Advertisement Recovering his wits, Gregg kicked the hole bigger and crawled outside to find four or five fires burning around the plane. Thain had already got out and was shouting to, “Get away! Go on, run! Get away!”, before the whole thing exploded. Dazed and concussed, Gregg stood for a moment, taking in the devastation and the stench of fuel. Every bit of common sense was telling him to flee to safety. But that was not an option he was willing to take.