The first fighter made an appearance over Holland but Sgt James in the rear turret spotted him and shot him down with his first burst.
Two more tame boars attacked on the final stage of the outbound trip, including one over the target zone itself. It was during one of these attacks that Sgt James was seriously wounded in the chest.
The flak and searchlights were wide of the mark and we had a good run in with a clear view of the aiming point.
The return leg was uneventful and we were able to concentrate on keeping Sgt James alive.
Reports from the hospital after landing indicate that Sgt Freddie James will need a lot of time to recover. This is a sad loss to the crew as Freddie was already an ace gunner; the 110 he got on this trip took his personal total to six.
F/O B. Gibson
Pilot: Home for Christmas