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Mixed with their satisfaction was relief that the main part of the job was over, as they headed back into the safety of darkness. But their relief was misplaced: this was perhaps the most dangerous time of all. Silhouetted by the fires behind them, their guard down because of the natural complacency that follows such bursts of adrenaline, they were easy targets for night fighters. And now, at last, the night fighters were arriving. Once the attack on Hamburg had begun, many fighter controllers had abandoned their radar sets and told their crews to head straight for the city. Some had seen the fires and flown in on their own initiative. By half past one in the morning, the skies on the way out of Hamburg were becoming far more dangerous than they had been going in.
The more disciplined crews would not drop their vigilance for a moment. The skipper would return to weaving the plane, and warn the gu
However, not all crews were quite so disciplined. Nervous and inexperienced pilots ignored the laid-down route and made a bee-line straight for the coast. It was an understandable temptation, particularly for those new pilots and navigators who had never experienced flak before. Some rear gu
Almost half of that night’s casualties were shot down by night fighters on the journey home – and of those, most had been off track. Without the benefit of thousands of bundles of Window to mask their movements, they had been located by German radar and summarily dealt with. Some, like the crew of Flying Officer J. S. Cole, were lucky to escape. After being picked up by searchlights over Cuxhaven on the coast, Cole was attacked by a Messerschmitt Me109 – a day fighter – but was able to dive away without being hit. 33Likewise Sergeant S. Grzeskowiak was on his first operation when his Wellington was attacked by a Junkers Ju88 night fighter. He managed to escape after being hit, but was leaking petrol all the way home, and eventually had to crash land at Trusthorpe in Lincolnshire. Those crews lived to tell the tale, for now at least. 34
Others were not so lucky. Wallace McIntosh, a rear gu
For the vast majority of crews, however, the journey home was as uneventful as the journey in. By four o’clock in the morning the first of the Pathfinders had already landed at their bases, and the main bomber stream was crossing the coast into England. This was the last moment of danger for the RAF crewmen. For some of those who had been hit by flak there would be an emergency landing at an unfamiliar airfield. There was always the chance that returning planes could be attacked by German intruders, but the biggest fear was the possibility of ground fog, which could make landing hazardous. Tonight, at the height of summer, the likelihood of that was not great – but even in clear conditions it could be dangerous landing in the dark. Despite the wealth of his experience, the CO of 83 Squadron, John Searby, collided with a Lancaster of 156 Squadron as the two came in to land at Warboys. Fortunately both aircraft landed safely.
After taxiing back to their original positions on the airfield, the crews would emerge from their planes, gri
* * *
That, then, was the pattern of a single night in the life of the Bomber Command crews – a typical operation made extraordinary by the introduction of a new weapon. Window had been a phenomenal success, and would continue to save the lives of RAF airmen for the next six weeks, before the Germans were able to counter its effects. Many crews have since thanked their luck that they were flying in the summer of 1943, because they were able, during that brief period of relative safety, to clock up enough operations to finish their tour. This simple, radar-jamming device had secured their future.
As they made their way to breakfast, however, few were thinking of the future. Six hours of heightened senses and intense emotions had left them worn out, and every one was now ready for bed. Their reward for the night’s efforts was a huge meal of bacon and eggs – as much as they could eat – but as soon as it was finished they returned to their quarters. Some were so exhausted they were unable even to undress before they fell into bed.
While they slept, the day was only just begi
Over the next few days reco
Few could have guessed where this new era would lead.
10. The Devastation Begins
The fronts draw nearer, the nights grow longer … the Luftwaffe is