Mission 112, 15/16th November 1944
Target: Essen, Germany.
A.A.R. prepared and submitted by F.O. Bernard Keen
Pilot of Bird of Prey
The take off went well as did our passage to the target. No Jerry activity. We could see the anti-aircraft burst and the searchlights some five minutes before we came close.
The lights never caught us but the Flak did. We lost the tail gun,the auto pilot and the heat to the nose compartment. Our engineer narrowly missed a serious wound as fragments rained through the fusilage. (I used his Rabbit's Foot).
With the buffeting we took Jack Mills, bombadier, couldn't get a fix on the target and he went wide. The return home was without incident, even flying low to accommodate the lack of heating, until just as we we leaving the coast of the Netherlands a Flak installation nailed us and Jack Mills suffered severe injury, that our navigater, Geoff Lee, gave immediate attention. Mills was able to remain conscious.
We landed soon after safely and had Mills taken straight away to the hospital.
We are told that the action taken by F.O.Lee was superlative and Jack Mills is making a rapid recovery.
Damage Report advises a quick repair is possible. (50 points)