Clear night skies over Lincoln made for an easy takeoff and start to the mission. It remained that way until well over the Netherlands when Francis noticed an Me 110 trying to sneak up on our tail. Sgt Blair fired but missed and then I threw Belligerent Bulldog into a violent series of maneuvers designed to throw Jerry's aim off. It seemed to be succeeding as Jerry was unable to hit us. Finally breaking off the action, the departing Me 110's rear gunner scored a pair of hits, taking out the tail O2. I had no choice but to drop to 10,000 Ft or lose Francis. While we experienced desultory ground fire for the remainder of the mission, it proved ineffective.
Jerry must have been either asleep or exhausted by the preceding bombers as we encountered no EA over Hannover and the searchlights were unable to find us. Like the ground fire, the Ack-Ack around the target though heavier was no more effective. Still, the poor weather kept W/O Thomas from putting our eggs in the basket, Belligerent Bulldog missing the target completely.
The flight home was uneventful, if noisy due to the frequent bursts of ground fire. Again, Belligerent Bulldog took no damage. Arriving back at Lincoln, the dawning sky illuminated the runway making for an easy landing. With no injuries and only minor damage (10 Peckham Points) to Belligerent Bulldog, we'll be ready to fly again tonight.
F/O James Tewsbury, Commanding
Belligerent Bulldog