[richard.k]

Here is the loss of aircraft reoprt from crew after war. No mention of fighter attack.
The Halifax took off from Middleton St. George at 16:06 hours on 19th November, 1943. Course was set at 16:51 hours at 13,000 feet and the outward trip was uneventful. The target was covered by 10/10 cloud and the Halifax bombed the sky markers, attacking in the second wave, at a height of about 20,000 feet on heading 084̊.

After bombing the Halifax flew a southerly course for about 3 minutes, intending to cross the Rhine between Bonn and Coblenz. They seen to have misjudged their timing and experienced predicted flak from what they assumed to be the outskirts of Bonn. The pilot executed a series of diving turns and managed to get away from the flak. The rudder controls were damaged, the port outer engine hit and the mid upper turret perspex smashed, but no one was injured.

The pilot resumed course towards the Aachen area, ordering the crew to stand by with chutes on in case they had to bale out. Within 15 minutes of being damaged by flak the Halifax had lost some 6,000 feet of height. The pilot could not feather the port outer propeller since, having no control of the rudders, to have down so would have made straight and level flying impossible. The rear gunner reported the rudders did not move when the controls were tried. He was heard to remark on the revs and boost, and the flt/engineer replied that the engines were running hot. The pilot had throttled back on all motors in order to keep the port outer running, but the aircraft continued to lose height rapidly. The damage known to have been sustained did not seem sufficient to account for this. By the time the Aachen area was reached height was about 10,000 feet and the downward “glide” continued. Here they were again attacked by predicted flak, but no more damage was seen, although fragments were heard against the aircraft. The pilot dived and climbed alternately to get out of the flak. After getting clear the navigator reported that it was impossible to return to England, and the pilot altered course to 280̊ to bring them over Holland. When height had fallen below 6,000 feet he ordered the crew to bale out.

The navigator jumped first, through the front hatch, and struck his face in doing so (difficulty was experienced in jettisoning the door of the hatch). The bomb aimer went next, through the front hatch, from just below 5,000 feet and the gunners jumped from the rear exit. The flt/engineer is known to have left before the pilot, who remained cooly at the controls, despite the persuasions of the rest of the crew that he should get out quickly. There was no fire, and the port outer engine was still running when informants baled out.

The bomb aimer had had no instructions on parachute jumping, made a good landing right on the airfield of Eindhoven. The rear gunner who had received instructions on jumping, was unable to see the ground owing to the darkness and was knocked out on landing, the village of Nunnen, northeast of Eindhoven. The flt/engineer was later reported to be prisoner of war. The Halifax is said to have come down some 10 kms distance from Eindhoven, apparently not burnt out - there were no traces of any member of the crew according to this report.

Regards, Richard