Takeoff went smoothly enough, as did the flight over the North Sea. Perhaps this led to a bit of complacency on the part of the lads as an Me 110 Tame Boar managed to slip in unobserved as we approached the target. Our first indication of Jerry's presence was when 20mm shells started tearing into Belligerent Bulldog, damaging the starboard wing root and rendering the starboard elevator inoperable. After the initial surprise attack neither Jerry nor Percy (Sgt York) were able to hit anything despite my holding steady and true for Arthur's (WO Thomas) bomb run. The searchlights failed to find us. Even so the Ack-Ack was heavy and several shells burst near Belligerent Bulldog. Fortunately, all we took was superficial damage. WO Thomas called, "Bombs gone," and we turned for home. Percy reported about 30% on target. There were no more encounters with Fritz on the trip home and, despite the typical English weather at Lincoln we landed without any problems. The damage to Belligerent Bulldog should be repaired in time for the next mission and the lads all came home untouched.
F/O James Tewsbury, Commanding
Belligerent Bulldog