Sit here, Adolf! — After Action Report
17/18 April, 1944 — Miss. No. 58
Operation: Detailed against Berlin — Industry
Crew: Pilot: F/L Rick Abbotsford; Bomb aimer F/O Brian Holmes; Navigator P/O Colin Bright; Flt. Eng. F/L Malcolm Reese; W/O Sgt. Sean Hemming; Mid-upper Sgt. Arthur Kingsley; Tail gunner Sgt. Ross (Rosie) Dillon
Weather en route: Mostly clear all the way to the target.
Opposition:
Outbound: Over Belgium attacked by a 110 which hit the port rudder and seriously wounded our flight engineer.On his second pass he hit us numerous times but with little or no effect — probably because he was dodging Art's fire and wanted to disentangle himself (Me-110 FBOA — Sgt. Art Kingsley). The next 110 came at us immediately after and missed on his first pass but on his second he hit squarely into the starboard wing root that rocked the whole ship.The next e/a shot up the starboard ammo track and rattled a lot of metal off the bomb load, he also hit the starboard wing root and destroyed the intercom. He came back one time too many and Rosie put enough rounds into his fuselage to throw his aim off (Me-110 FBOA — Sgt. Ross Dillon).
Over target: No Me-110, no searchlight or wild boar, and no FLAK.
Homeward: We encountered no enemy fighters during the entire return trip
Bomb run: On, 20%
Assessment of attack: Seemed a fairly standard attack (if there is such a thing!) with a lot of fires burning in the outskirts especially.
Landing: Uneventful
Crew casualties: One serious wound: Flight engineer, F/L Malcolm Reese
Comments: The whole way home we were expecting the other shoe to drop, but fortunately it was clear sailing.Repairs will allow us to fly the next mission.I am told that Malcolm Reese's wound is too serious for him to return (this was his first and only mission).
F/L Rick Abbotsford, pilot