Our apprehensive crew headed out on their first mission with 314 Squadron, and unfortunately for one of the crew it would be their last operational duty.
The flight was uneventful until we were in the area north of Brunswick when Freddy Garrett in the tail opened up on a Me-110 that he had spotted moving in to an attacking position and although he fired wide he did enough to put the goggled goblin
off his initial attack run. Freddy, top of the class in training, waited his time and when re-attacked scored direct hits on the bandit that exploded in a fireball before even firing a shot. Just like shooting crows on the farm in Lytchett!
said Freddy who was later to find out that these birds shoot back!
We were now on our toes but failed shortly after to spot another attack from a Me-110. A nervous or inexperienced pilot overshot us and after re-positioning fired but failed to hit our bus. Freddy again found the target several times, damaging and then driving off the enemy attack.
Over target the weather was good as forecast but whilst concentrating on our run in we missed another Tame Boar. We had possibly been shadowed by the same aircraft that had been frightened off earlier as the bandit again missed our crate on the first pass and on re-attacking was hit and seen to explode 20 seconds later.
Flak over target was light and not co-ordinated with searchlights which enabled us to focus on the last part of the run in, and then suddenly our eggs were gone with an estimated 40% on target. Moments after releasing our load the bus was riddled with shells in the waist and tail, with poor Freddy Garrett in the Frazer-Nash rear gun turret being seriously shot up. I put the bus into a corkscrew, changed direction and lost the attacker.
Jerry hit us once more on the return whilst we were over the Netherlands but we only sustained s/f damage.
As soon as we landed the meat wagon
was alongside to assist us pull Freddy out. He has received serious wounds but will recover and can now look forward to flying a mahogany spitfire
as a base wallah in station HQ.
Respectfully,
Pilot Officer Bert Wright
314 SquadronS for Sugar