It started out so smooth. The English spring weather was what I expected, cloud cover and rain keeping us grounded until after 1000 hrs weather. The light crosswind hadn’t cleared all the water off the wings when we started down runway 24 and climbed to join the formation. , just like a training run. Watching the sun peek through the clouds and light up the rooftops of nearby Cambridge almost made you forget this mission was all business. It was a matter of maintain airspeed, elevation, and formation until the Noord Holland Peninsula was at our 3:00. After telling the crew were in Injun Country, it wasn’t too long after we readied all the MGs and put a few rounds into North Sea that Sgt Grindley in the top turret called ‘bandits!’ over the intercom, fighters coming down out of the sun, 3 in a row from our 12:00 and one from 10:30 level. Most of their fire was ineffective as they raced past. The yellow-tailed plane at 10:30 must have been the one that put a few new holes in the fuselage behind the top turret. I sounded like someone throwing some rocks at the plane. Yellow-tail came back around for another pass at our 1:30. Lt Slate on the starboard cheek couldn’t get a bead on him but he got us again, this time stitching a row of holes in the starboard wing surface behind #3 engine. It seems he got his aim on the third pass, coming in from 12:00 and putting rounds right through the top of the fuselage, passing through the co-pilot’s instrument panel and striking LT Wennerstrom in the legs and chest, who slumped forward over his controls making it hard for me to maintain our place in formation. I called Lt Jackson up from the Navigator’s station to see if there was anything that could be done for him but Ronnie, I mean Lt Jackson said Bob was dead, no pulse, no breathing, so he secured him to his seat back and went back, shaken, down to the nose.

 We flew on without incident until after we had crossed over the island of Trischen just shy of the German coastline that the formation got hit again. This time our ship was lucky, all we took was a few hits from other bombers in our own formation!

 Flak over the target didn’t do anything more than shake us around a bit, I don’t think anything really hit us. Unfortunately we didn’t get our pickles in the barrel, I’ll bet not a single bomb hit within a thousand yards of the target. I take full responsibility for not putting us in the right position to let Lt Slate get the job done for us. I am sure my hands will be steadier next time. I admit having to explain to Bob’s wife & kid what happened to him up here today was on my mind more than it should have been with a mission to fly.

 We got jumped by fighters as soon as we cleared the target local area, coming in from all over like a swarm of bees, five of ‘em. There were so many calls coming over the intercom it was hard to keep it sorted out. That’s when I lost my composure. An FW coming in from high up, right in front of us put another stream of MG fire right into the cockpit hitting Lt Wennerstrom again. I couldn’t even look, I had to get a grip and fly the plane but at that minute I just wished I had my own MG so I could have shot back at that SOB. I guess some of his rounds hit the control cables on the starboard side of the bomb bay because the rudder started to feel a little ‘squishy’ but I still had control.

The FW came around for another pass but didn’t do nay damage.

 As we made our way out over the north sea something happened that I never expected. I couldn’t see it happen but I can speak to the results. Sgt Grindley in top turret called out twin engine fighters high above us, but instead of diving in, they started bombing us! I don’t know how effective this can be, but in our case we almost lost our tail gunner as a result. Although it didn’t detonate, one bomb came through the fuselage and pinned Sgt Herman in his seat. Either the bomb or the skin of the Juggernaut, or both, really tore up his left leg. I guess the Flight Surgeon says its’ not as bad as it looked, I though he was going to lose a leg, but I guess he’ll be stitched up and back in action in a day or two.

 Well that was the last we saw of Jerry. The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we landed safely back at Archbury.

 Up to this point I guess I knew the Germans were the enemy, and we had to hit them hard, but after having to think about and write up what happened to Bob, well, now it’s personal.