With the advances our lads have made on the ground we don't have to fly over as much Jerry controlled territory. And a good thing it is too, judging by the reports from the rest of the Squadron.
As we neared the target an Me 110 snuck up on our tail, catching us by surprise. By the time he was finished with us, Jerry had peppered Belligerent Bulldog. Fortunately, the only damage of any consequence was to James' (Sgt Edgecombe) suit heater. James said he could take the cold for a while, especially as things were starting to heat up. The Tame Boar broke off his attack just as the searchlights picked us out of the night sky, accompanied by an attack from a Bf 109 Wild Boar. We exchanged fire with the 109, neither of us scoring any hits, and the Wild Boar moved on. Though caught in the searchlights' glare the Ack-Ack all missed and Arthur (W/O Thomas) deposited 20% of our eggs on target. Another 110 picked us up on target egress but this time Bertie (Sgt Sharpe) saw Jerry coming. I put Belligerent Bulldog through her paces enough to keep Jerry's aim off, both his main and rear guns. On his last pass, Bertie set one of the 110's engines afire.
Heading for home, I dropped to a warmer altitude for Sgt Edgecombe's safety. While we experienced some desultory ground fire, we only had to endure it for a short while thanks to the advanced friendly lines. There were no other encounters and we managed to land as a clear dawn sky broke over Lincoln.
The maintenance lads say they'll have Belligerent Bulldog ready to fly in no time (26 Peckham Points).
F/O James Tewsbury, Commanding
Belligerent Bulldog