Reading this thread has reminded me of an article I read in an American flying magazine. The author had visited an airshow where one of the exhibits was a Spitfire and he had been allowed to sit in the cockpit.
While sitting there he reminisced about how many young men had sat in similar cockpits as they winged their way into battle and then it struck him, that for many young men a similar cockpit was the last thing they saw as they died.
I found the article very moving and mentioned it to a doctor who was doing my annual medical examination for my pilots licence. He had been in the RAF during WW2 flying Hurricanes in the Middle East and then Mosquito night fighters later. He went very quiet for a time and then said, "Yes, you were so alone and cannot help". He then told me of hearing one of his comrades calling for help over the radio and not being able to do anything while the man died.
We were both silent for a time and then moved on to more prosaic matters.