Everyone was in good spirits as Belligerent Bulldog lifted off the tarmac, Ned (F/Sgt Jones having just been released from hospital. The flight over the North Sea and the Netherlands was quiet. However, Jerry was waiting at the border, an Me 110 catching us by surprise. The Tame Boar damaged the port rudder before Sgt Bandman shot off Jerry's tail. A pair of chutes blossomed in the starlight as the stricken fighter plunged to the earth below.
Somewhere south of Brunswick we picked up another Tame Boar, though this time the crew was alert and noticed the 110 approaching. Roger (Sgt Bandman) fired and missed and I then put Belligerent Bulldog through her paces. James (Sgt Edgecombe) nicked Jerry, but the Tame Boar nicked us as well, jamming the bomb bay doors before flying off into the night.
With the bomb bay doors inoperable there was no point in continuing any further so I turned Belligerent Bulldog for home. We encountered no more German resistance, landing at Lincoln with a full load of cookies. As they say, "Better luck next time." The ground crew says they'll have Belligerent Bulldog up and ready by tomorrow (22 Peckham Points).
F/O James Tewsbury, Commanding
Belligerent Bulldog