Old comrades
We continued our sorties into enemy territory, and on 9th November 1943, we escorted Beaufighters from a sister squadron, No. 252, who were armed with torpedoes, into the Aegean Sea area, once more. Some long way north of Crete, we met a convoy of small armed vessels (gunboats, corvettes) escorting some supply ships and barges. Overhead were two Arado 196 seaplanes doing their escort duty. Arados were versatile armoured aircraft, suitable for fighter escort and for rescue work. We swept in from sea level, and while the 252 Squadron aircraft attacked the shipping with their torpedoes, we took care of the escort.
I saw an Arado diving down on me, from above and straight ahead, guns firing, and instinctively, I rose up to meet him. With my four cannons and six machine guns all firing, the poor chap hadn't much chance. I think it was a case of who was to be the chicken, as we flew straight towards each other. He pulled back the stick, and cleared the top of my aircraft, but then immediately dived down on to the water, where he crashlanded. Another pilot told me afterwards that he had seen the observer's body, hanging over the side of the aircraft, as he was attempting to get out. The pilot was also killed.
I immediately flew off after the second Arado, which turned tail and fled. I fired several times at it, and saw smoke pouring from it, with pieces flying off the wings and fuselage before I left it, heading down towards the sea. Little did I know that my "scrap" with the Huns would prove to be my Nemesis!