A shorter trip this time around but we still managed to attract the attention of two tame boars on the outbound leg.
The first one surprised us and put a couple of good bursts into both wings that wrecked the starboard ailerons & flaps, the port elevator, shredded the rubber rafts and injured F/O Vincent Dennis in the mid upper turret [sounds painful]. This only got his gander up such that on the fighter's final pass, "Vinny" shot him down. Me110 number 2 only managed a couple of hits, and merely added to the wing root damage.
The target was devoid of flak, searchlights or fighters but we never got a clear sight of the ground and bombed the sky markers.
On the way home another 110 turned up and further damaged the starboard wing.
Over our home airfield it became evident that during the first fighter engagement the port undercarriage had been damaged. Nothing we could do changed the fact that it was stuck in the retracted position. With the crew braced for the worst we touched down on one wheel and slewed off the right hand side of the runway.
It could have been far worse. Home for Christmas and F/O Dennis will be in good shape for the next trip.
F/O B. Gibson
Pilot: Home for Christmas