Jerry fighters were active tonight. I suppose they were aided by the good visibility. We were attacked first in zone 5 when Allen spotted a twin-engine and hit him as he fired on us. He left the area immediately. Allen spotted another over zone 7, damaging him and chasing him away. We did not spot the blighter over zone 8 and he proceeded to knock out #1 engine (could not be feathered) as well as causing some damage to the tail area. The drag forced us out of the stream and slowed us dramatically. Entering zone 9 area we were surprised again, losing #3 engine (could not be feathered). We absorbed more minor damage before jettisoning bombs and turning for home. We were attacked by two more fighters on homeward leg, but they only caused minor damage.
It was a long flight back and petrol was a concern with the remaining engines overworking to keep us at altitude. Landing was uneventful despite the loss of our tailwheel.
Submitted - Derek Jacoby - Pilot - Dunkirk