James Bond must have had thousands of bullets aimed at him over the course of his career. He must be the most shot-at fictional film hero of all time. Can anybody calculate the odds of him not having taken a fatal hit over the past five decades? Surely they are astronomical.
• An earlier correspondent noted that James Bond had survived at least 4662 gunshots. This figure may not be too far-fetched.
A study of soldiers’ small arms peacetime hit rates found them to be about 60 per cent. This figure would lead one to expect that the 6462 rounds fired by British marines at the start of the Falklands war 30 years ago would have produced more Argentinian casualties than the two confirmed deaths and two confirmed wounded. This apparently low figure can be explained by the fact that many shots are fired to keep the enemy’s head down and to stop the enemy from firing back.
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James Bond, continue the good work. Your chances of surviving to an old age are as good as ever!
Ted Lovesey, Stoke Gabriel, Devon, UK