The Biggin Hill Wing 1941: From Defence to Attack by Peter Caygill

Author:Peter Caygill
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781844684892
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2008-10-29T22:00:00+00:00

We took off at first light to take three Stirlings in to Lens. When we arrived over the French coast the sun was still just above the horizon on our port bow. I realised that when we had reached the target and turned for home we would be in a very sticky position as the 109s would be able to come in straight and level behind us and we would not be able to see them on account of the sun. We crossed the French coast and had got about ten miles in when a 109 came in at me out of the sun and almost head-on. I only saw him at the last moment and didn’t have time to fire at him. He flashed past me and fired off a Very cartridge. From that time on until we crossed out again all hell seemed to let loose. The 109s poured in from all directions and we were so busy dealing with them that it just wasn’t possible to see what happened to anything we fired at. Then the Hun flak joined in with great gusto and winged one of the Stirlings. A thin stream of smoke began to pour from his outboard port engine, but he carried on and at last we reached the target which was obliterated in clouds of smoke and dust.

The bombers turned for home and then we had the sun right up our tails. Things got even hotter than before as the 109s steamed in out of the sun whilst we were blinded. The Stirling that had been hit by flak before had received another nasty knock from flak over the target and a fire now began in the outboard engine. Gradually the fire spread along the wing towards the cockpit and then she keeled over like a stricken ship and went plunging to her doom. Only three of the crew baled out and, flaming like a torch, she screamed down and plunged into the middle of a factory in a small town about ten miles from the target. We forced on and eventually reached the coast without further loss. I had fired all my ammunition but couldn’t even claim a damaged because I had been too busy to see what happened when I fired.

After crossing the coast the attacks faded out and I throttled back to conserve my petrol which was getting pretty low. I landed at a forward airfield to refuel and just after two more Spitties taxied in. The show that morning had been laid on at very short notice and no-one had had time to eat anything – a very bad thing to fly on an empty stomach. I wasn’t feeling too good myself, but when the occupants of the other two Spitfires got out of their cockpits I couldn’t restrain a grin. They were as green as the sea they had just flown over and both hurriedly disappeared from sight behind the nearest building!

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