After an extremely uneventful outward trip and quiet, if inaccurate, bomb run, we were picked up by a nightfighter as we left the target area. The first attack caused some minor damage around the back end of the aircraft and the second pass wounded the bomb aimer and knocked out the electrics for the rear gunner's suit. Despite heavy defensive fire the fighter attacked again and this time hit the pilot very badly. The flight engineer took the controls. Having lost the fighter, we descended to lower altitude and between them, the navigator and wireless operator guided the flight engineer back towards base while the bomb aimer took care of the pilot.
After crossing the coast,there was a debate amongst the crew and ground control about what to do. Although we all wanted to stay aboard for the landing, we were finally ordered to bail out, and this we did.
It was only on returning to base later that we discovered that not only had the wireless operator been killed when his parachute failed to open, but also that the flight engineer had refused to leave the pilot behind and had attempted to land the aircraft. Both were killed in the subsequent crash.
Signed Sgt.Arthur Cowin, navigator, 314 Squadron.