I don't think HQ arranged an easy trip just because it was our first one, but I'm not complaining. It was nice of the Luftwaffe to cooperate!
A Me-110 surprised us just after we left the Netherlands. It shot up our port wing, taking out the aileron and (as we discovered upon landing) holing the outboard petrol tank. The self-sealing saved us there. Fairweather, our Bomb Aimer, managed to hit him on his third pass, but I think he got away.
Fitzgerald spotted the next one as we were coming up on Frankfurt. Both the 110 and Fitzgerald missed on the first pass, but Fitgerald hit him good on the second, driving him away. I don't think he went down, but as long as he went somewhere else, we were happy.
The cloud cover over the target hid us from searchlights and flak. Fairweather managed to spot the ground TI's though a break and unloaded us right on them.
We all kept a sharp lookout on the way home, but didn't see any sign of German nightfighters.
Pilot Officer Leo Feldman
Pilot, Tisiphone
December 30, 1943
19 Peckham Damage Points