AAR Mission: 150/15
Date: May 2nd, 1945
Target: ROTTERDAM, Netherlands - Humanitarian
Aircraft: The Big Bad Boar
Pilot: Flt/Lt Frederick Haswell
Bomb Aimer: F/Sgt Anthony Hancock Flight Engineer: P/Off John Burton Navigator: F/Sgt Arthur Simpson W/Telegraph Operator: Sgt Charlie Johnson Mid-Upper Gunner: Sgt Hamish Ferguson Tail-End Charlie: Sgt "Bill" Cowley
"Rotherham? I've got an auntie who lives there", said P/Off John Burton when I told him our destination. "Ohhh … sorry, I misheard, sir."
"We're on a mercy mission, gentlemen, dropping food and other humanitarian aid to the people of the Netherlands. We have been guaranteed free passage from the Germans and we will be flying in very low. Hancock, I expect you to do your best to get as much as this to them and not drop it in a canal."
"That I will, sir" he confirmed."
"Can I put my feet up back here?" asked Cowley.
"Sorry, gentlemen, but you still need to be alert. There might by some die-hard Nazi who has found a plane and wants to do his duty for the Fatherland. Extremely unlikely, but you never know. I just don't want us downed because we were caught having a nap."
On the way in, Burton was keeping an eye on the systems. As we were flying low, there was not much time to fix anything that went wrong and there was no chance for anyone to bail out.
Over the Netherlands, we could see people in the fields waving at us. For an RAF bomber aircrew, this was the closest we'd get to see what it was like to help with the liberation of a country. If there were any Germans down there, they did not make their presence known. Simpson gave me the last route change before the target zone and after lining her up, I handed over to Hancock.
"Bread gone!" came the unusual call from the nose, "And I think they've got most of it!" If they were friendly and welcoming on the way in, they were even friendlier on the way back now they had at least something to eat. I only hoped the rest of our crews were as successful.
The journey home was even more relaxed as the journey in. We made the most of our low-level flight plan and even got to admire the Lincolnshire countryside as we crossed the English coast. We were soon lined up for our final approach and we landed without incident.
If I could put the crew's feelings in one word, it would be pride. We were all proud that we had done something helpful. If HQ had told us we were doing the same again, we would have happily refuelled our four-engined beast, filled up our bomb bays with food, taken off and done it all over again.
Respectfully yours
Frederick Haswell (Flight Lieutenant)
Damage - You've got to be kidding me