Upon leaving the mercury vapour lit comfortable fug of the briefing room at about 1900 hrs I was confronted with a red faced puffing ground crew chief. His breath steamed in the cold as he proffered a form and said "F700 for you to sign sir!" After an arduous inspection of the repairs to L for Leather, I signed the form and handed it back to him, they had done well to repair ‘their’ kite in record time.
The monotonous "Enemy coast ahead" buzzed through the intercom. Pat and Tom started discussing their favourite soccer teams. We passed over the darkened cities of Holland far below. The weather worsened as we wove our way into the heart of Germany our nerves on edge for the first sign of night fighters. We saw searchlights probing the night sky toward where Hannover and Dollbergen lay.
After what seemed hours we espied the target through the sleeting rain clouds. Where were the dratted yellow sky markers the cloud was at about nine tenths. We were bounced by a Me 110 from 6 0’clock which blew holes in both wings, 'Catseyes' blew bits of him and he dived away to port. Mid upper reported a trail of something coming from Starboard inner engine. Pat Garside checked his instruments, undercarriage hydraulics was losing fluid!
Target seemed almost eerily quiet, no flak, searchlights missed us in the gloom. We stooged about trying to find the TI’s suddenly they appeared between two clouds, I turned steeply and we dropped near them "Bombs gone!" I turned for home.
Near Magdeburg we were attacked again by a Me 110 more holes in the port wing and bomb bay. John Walpole the mid upper gunner smacked him on the nose and he flew way damaged. Pat Garside told me he thought he could winch down the starboard wheel if he could open the undercarriage doors but would be unable to lock them down and there was no brakes on that side!
The weather cleared as we neared England. As we crossed the coast I radioed ahead to report our problem, it was now or never. "OK Pat give her a try" with the help of Fluke he wound the winch handle to manually lower the starboard under cart. We fired a warning very light to warn that I was trying an approach, the wheels lowered jerkily but the starboard wouldn’t lock down. I could see the fire tender and ambulance racing across the grass toward us as I touched down and bounced once, then was down solid, the under cart held. As we ran out of runway I gingerly tried the brakes she slew around to port and in a spray of dust, dirt and grass came to a juddering halt.
I lay on the cool morning dew soaked grass smoking a Passing Clouds with nerveless fingers, phew! Time for eggs and bacon I thought.
Regards
P/O Wilson
314 Squadron
L for Leather
Tail Gunner F/S Catseyes Johnson 1x Me110 damaged
Mid Upper Gunner F/S John Walpole 1x Me 110 damaged