Although three German nighfighters hounded us on the way to the target not one of them managed to score a hit on us. The gunners did a great job in driving off at least one of them with hits of our own.
No wild boars or searchlights but the flak found us out hitting the tail and killing Sgt Hopkins outright.
Even so we put our bombs down on the markers.
Leaving the target zone a Ju88 appeared but he too was driven off before doing much damage.
Immediately after that a second Ju88 showed up and put in three good passes at us. The radio op now in the tail was wounded but more seriously both the port & starboard outer fuel tanks were ruptured. Deep in Germany there was no way home, so we all took to the silk.
Hours later the 6 survivors were all on our way to a POW camp.
P/O Harrison Poole
[pilot: Cute Blond — reported via Red Cross]