May 27, 1940
(continuation)
Flt. Lt. Paul Brittany and PO Zoe Barton Bridge made it easily. The same I can't say about Lt. Christopher Gitfast, Flight Leader of the Blue Section and PO Louis Howell escorting a pair of Bleinhem, completely unharmed and low on fuel. After landing and drinking a generous dose of bourbon to stop the shakes, Louis told us his story.
We were almost done, Squadron Leader... we... we were almost leaving the most dangerous part of the... well... Flight leader Gitfast said it... "Louis, we're almost there..." but then... the Bleinhem observer said "four boogies twelve high"... and I knew, I just knew...
"Move away from them... we'll try to delay them enough for you to escape..." said Flight leader Gitfast... "stay with me Louis... don't get caught... let's give them just enough trouble for the bombers to escape..." And I thought that... you know, sir... he had it figured out...
So the bombers went one way and we went the other... Four one-oh-nines coming at us...
And we passed head on... so fast... I saw his guns firing... I fired...
Flight leader Gitfast hit one German squarely...
And I did the same... Hitting him hard and thinking that maybe, just maybe we would pull this thing through...
Then he took cannon damage from one Messie...
Then from a second... I heard him scream... a wing ripped like a sheet of paper and then... then...
... he went down in a slow spiral... "be still, be still, we need you..." and that was Lieutenant Spencer... the Bleinhem flight leader... and I understood that I was screaming Flight leader Gitfast's name...
Almost mechanically I finished the reverse that I was doing following Flight leader... "Good... Good... Remember Flight Officer Howell, we're unarmed. You must protect us." And his voice was calming me. I was sweating and trembling, my vision blurred with fear and stress... But I saw in front of me a grey shark and something like a cold rage took over me...
The German fighters were already firing at the Bleinhems...
But Lieutenant Spencer took the bomber into a tight turn, trying to escape the fighters... I had one in front of me and my hands trembled with expectation...
I hit the cockpit with a long burst...
"You must come to the rescue, my boy... Don't focus just on one of them..." But my eyes wouldn't leave that fighter...
"Taking hits..." I heard them... I must finish this one quickly... I felt acid in my stomach...
And with a quick trail of bullets I hit him again in the cockpit... Somehow I knew...
I knew I had killed a man...
"Nicely done, old chap, now come to us..." I couldn't answer right away... My throat was dry... I was shaking... One of them decided that I was to be taken care off, the other two were hunting the bombers...
Lieutenant Spencer's Bleinhem was taking the brunt of the damage, protecting the other bomber and inciting me to come quickly to the rescue...
"Hang on!" I finally replied... "Coming full speed..." But I was far yet...
And they kept firing at him... With their cannons... their bloody cannons...
My Hurry was doing his best... the engine screaming...
But they were firing at defenseless targets and I knew that instant...
As the left engine of Lieutenant Spencer's Bleinhem erupted in fire...
... that the time was over. "Boys..." he said, "we'll try to make it home".
Then... as they fired against the burning bomber, I saw small points leaving the bomber...
As as it went down... one... two... three... parachutes opening in the afternoon...
The rage burned in me again, as the one-oh-nines turned against the remaining bomber... I was still far...
But as they fired against the Bleinhem...
I fired a long burst almost emptying my guns. And for my absolute surprise the tail of the closest one-oh-nine broke and it went spinning down.
It went down... "You bloody took two of them", said the pilot of the remaining Bleinhem.
The other fighter suddenly took a right turn, forgetting the bomber.
For a moment I thought about staying in the frey...
I took another shot and my weapons went silent... No more ammo...
The Germans had lost their appetite and I followed the bomber...
Now I had to find the airstrip alone and alone I had to land my hawk... Can I... can I have another glass of that?...
In this Mission:
Flight B - Blue Section
Flt. Lt. Christopher Gitfast (Flight Leader) - Hawker Hurricane (Veteran)
PO Louis Howell - Hawker Hurricane (Rookie) - (2 Kills in this mission)
Special rules:
To maintain the will to leave I decided to give no ammunition to the Bleinhems.
Both the Bleinhem crews and the Me-109 pilots are regulars.
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