All was calm until we entered Germany at which point we were surprised by a nightfighter of some description. The port wing copped the lot and although the fuel tanks seemed to survive the hits, the port outer engine died completely. We pressed on regardless and sure enough our slow speed meant we endured the attentions of two tame boars over the target area. The first was a Ju88, which Walter spotted. We corkscrewed and I think caused more damage to him than he did to us. The second tame boar (a Me110) was also spotted and we hit him in exchange for superficial damage to Keira II.
Just when it seemed all was well with my decision to press on the flak sought us out and dished out a couple of hits that jammed the bomb bay doors shut. In spite of all efforts to free it we failed to drop our bombs and were now faced with an extremely long haul home with a full bomb load and only three engines.
A Ju88 surprised us after leaving the target area and in multiple passes injured both the bomb aimer and the tail gunner. Sgt Simon in the tail was by far the worse with a serious head wound that effectively ended his mission. Attacks then just seemed to keep coming; I guess we were a pretty slow and easy target. It is difficult to recall the exact sequence of events but one attack again hit the rear turret and this was the point at which Sgt Simon was hit again. In rapid succession various rudder and elevator controls became unserviceable, and the port inner engine joined its outer partner and had to be feathered. Before our engineer could determine how much further a two-engined Lanc with a full bomb load could travel, a Ju88 added to the massive damage to the port wing and started a fuel tank fire.
That was it; we all bailed out other than our rear gunner Sgt Walter Simon who was already dead.
Although we had by now crossed into Holland, any chance of an extended evasion and escape ended as soon as we hit the ground. What looked like an entire German infantry division was encamped around the area where we landed and the six survivors from Keira were rounded up in very short order.
P/O Tim Barksdale [pilot: Keira II]
report received via Red Cross