tow1709 Glad to hear that there were not too many German fighters in France when Peter Brett was there
I have just got hold of a combat report submitted by my father Flt Lt xx after a bombing raid on L'Orient in early 1943 in a Stirling .
Night. Stirling was over target at 13500 ft when a Me109 approached from starboard beam at 200 yards apparently diving to attack a Lancaster on port beam of our aircraft. M/U Gunner told Captain to turn starboard. Stirling executed a rate 2 1/2 turn and dived a 1000 ft and both gunners fired good bursts at E/A as it dived from starboard beam below to climb away from port quarter.
M/U gunner ( Sgt xx) reported attack broken off and told Captain to resume course. Bomb run was then made and bombs had just gone when E/A re-appeared dead astern below firing cannon shell,visibility was good, clear sky, searchlights, fires and flares. Rear Gunner (Sgt xx) told Captain to corkscrew and maintained a long burst at point blank range,when there was a blinding flash in E/A which was not seen any more. Rear gunner could not observe the results of his fire as he was temporarily blinded by explosion, but E/A is claimed as probably destroyed.
Seven nights later their luck ran out when a nightfighter shot them down over Belgium (Me 110)