When the crew heard that Berlin was to be our next jaunt they were all visibly nervous. The previous missions losses had a profound effect on the young crew's morale and Berlin would not have been their destination of choice. Nevertheless I knew the crew were brave and certainly up to the task; as with any other mission.
We were informed that the weather over the target was good so 'Vin' should have a relatively easy time of it.
The flight out was uneventful until an Me-110 jumped us as we passed by Magdeburg. He managed to shoot up the port side rudder and wing but was eventually driven off by some intense spray fire by mid-gunner 'Scotty'.
The approach to Berlin was unusually quiet. We approached without harrassment and delivered our bombs. Despite the favourable weather conditions, bomb aimer 'Vin' did not seem confident. "it's all Nazi Germany" he said, as if it were some consolation.
Our return home was considerably busier. We were once again picked up by an Me-110 as we flew by Magdeburg but tail-gunner 'Olly' drove him off on it's first pass. Unfortunately this was not the end of it as we were harrassed continually until we reached water.
Whilst over Germany 'Scotty' managed to bag his second Me-110 shortly before the spray fire proved too much for his guns and they jammed up irreparably. This left him vulnerable and, as if the enemy knew, he was seriously wounded as we approached Essen.
Thankfully the evasive action manoeuvres we took proved too much for a number of Me-110s however we did take some damage to the #1 engine but nothing to jeopardise or safe return home.
'Scotty' was rushed to hospital when we landed to be treated. I visited a while later and was told that despite the severity of his condition he would make a full recovery. Sadly he'll never fly again and returns to Scotland to be with his family.
Our reliance on spray fire tactics in these two missions has me concerned. Given the difficulty of trying to hit enemy aircraft while maneuvering I can appreciate the benefits of spray fire however both our mid and tail guns jammed as a result again, and we lost a good aircrewman in the process.
F/L Martin Johnson
Pilot - Victory Belle