Lt Cdr. Charles Edwards glanced across at the positions of the other three members of his Flight. Two of the three other Fulmers flown by Sub Lts. Orr and Sewell were on station over the remnants of the Convoy.
His other pilot Lt. Nicholls was still having trouble with the damage to his aircraft sustained in the last Axis attack on the Carrier Illustrious which was situated directly below.
As Roger Nicholls strove to keep on station, the Co saw the rest of the aircraft covering the Fleet bank away to the Norwest to intercept the next wave of German and Italian Bombers now heading toward the vulnerable straggling shipping spreading out nearly as far as the horizon below them.
Even as he watched half a dozen or so German and Italian Stuka Dive bombers broke through the Martlets forming the outer fighter cordon and who were heavily engaged with the accompanying enemy Macchi and CR42 fighters which outnumbered them heavily.
Evans flicked his RT button. "Right oh chaps, we are the long stops in this match. Stan and I will take the starboard trio out, whilst Roger and John deal with the other three. Tally ho." With no more said he and Stan Orr banked away from the carrier,
whilst Roger Nicholls and John Sewell headed off in the other direction.
Within a matter of seconds Lt. Cdr Evans and Sub Lt Orr dropped down onto the approaching Stukas.
The head on attack was fast and furious.
Both Evans and Orr both ripped into the left most Stuka dealing out considerable damage.
A lucky return shot, however, punctured a feed pipe on Evans' aircraft and smoke began to issue from the cowling.
As the aircraft passed Evans took even more damage from the rear gunner of the Stuka.
The bombers had now come under intense fire from the Fleet, and Flack bursts started to mingle with the tracer rounds in a wall of death in front of them.
Not only that, but the two Fulmers had banked and were now adding to the maelstrom from behind.
Meanwhile, Nicholls and Sewell were closing on the other trio of Stukas to the North of the convoy.
Still under a blitz of fire from the convoy's escorts the first three Stukas lined up their attack run.
The rear gunner of the rearmost Dive bomber was still having a conversation with Charles Evans as the attack upon the Illustrious went in.
Then in an instant the attack was blunted. Fire from the Fleet had accounted for two of the dive bombers, and only the one duelling with Evans remained to carry on.
He only lasted a few more seconds before combined fire from Warspite, her escorts, and the two Fulmers on the tail brought the third Stuka down in flames.
On the Northern flank John "Jackie" Sewell and Lt. Nicholls peeled off to attack the second wave of bombers.
Still out of range of the nearest Destroyer and taking ineffectual rounds from Nicholls they held their coarse towards the Fleet.
As the two Fulmers banked to get in behind the bombers, the first tentative shells from the fleet began to rang in on the trio.
Very soon a blitz of fire again enveloped this attack very much as the one which blunted the last attack had done.
The only difference was that this time the aircraft were relatively unscathed by the Fulmers so far and were attacking the less well defended rear of the convoy.
Consequently despite suffering some damage, all three got into a position to attack the Carrier.
Once again, however the fire from the Illustrious, and Warspite aided by the Destroyer screen made short work of two Stukas as they commenced their dive.
As they plunged into the sea,
the third Stuka screamed down the sky like a banshee and delivered its payload of death directly onto the Flight deck abaft the island.
The damage inflicted on Illustrious was serious.
Fire parties were immediately dispatched.
Even so the internal structural meyhem caused a reduction in its speed to one quarter.
Nevertheless there was to be no congratulations for the bomber crew, as the entire weaponry of the fleet combined with the returning Fulmers now converged on the sole remaining target and soon despatched it to join its colleagues in the Med.
After fighting off several more attacks from enemy bomber units Illustrious finally limped into Valetta harbour in need of serious repairs but still afloat.
The Axis would try to change that situation during the following week, but that story remains to be told another time.
The Butcher's Bill.
852 Sq. FAA. ( The Bulldogs)
Lt. Cdr. Charles Evans. RTB. 16 damage. One probable.
Sub Lt. Stanley Orr. RTB. zero damage.
Lt. Roger Nicholls RTB. 2 damage.
Sub. Lt John Sewell RTB. zero damage. One probable.
Ships of the Mediterannean Fleet four shot down.
Axis Bomber Group.
Severe damage to HMS Illustrious.
No aircraft or crews returned to base.
Rob.
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