Prologue
Sgt. Bob Porter was starting the second hour at his auxiliary Duty, searching the skies for enemy night fighters and any friendly bombers who strayed into Lancaster VT-Fs path on their way to Germany. The large perspex nose blister gave a panorama of all things in front of them.
The Navigator called out time to Sterkrade/Holden, the target. Sgt. Porter prepared to tend his main duty that of Bomb Aimer. Taking his prone position he on the floor of the nose section, kneeling on retractable pads and supported by an adjustable support for his upper body.
As the bomber entered the Target Area (T/A) Porter was already using his Mk.XIV Bomb sight. He guided his Pilot F/L Smithy towards what was guessed to be the precise spot of the plant.
But 10/10 cloud cover obliterated any chance of physically viewing the flares dropped by the Pathfinder squadrons. He was left to concentrating his bombs on the already burning glow left by other bombs delivered by the Halifax and Lancaster heavies ahead of them.
Asking Smith to keep the aircraft steady while flack burst all around which jostled the heavy bomber like a toy and sharp fragments were hitting the thin metal skin.
Pressing the white tit button he held tightly in his hand, this released the arsenal of bombs.
The Lancaster rose slightly with loss of the weight.
Porter could over hear via the intercom Navigator P/O Gardiner giveing Smithy the heading to begin the two hour journey home.
Sgt. Porter knew from his experience the operation was not successful that he or others would be back to do a more successful attack.
The synthetic oil plants destruction was too important to let it exist.
While the Navigator Bill Gardiner, F/E Trussler, and their Pilot concentrated on getting them out of the menacing locality.
Bomb Aimer, Porter could witness through the aircrafts plastic nose the night fighters jumping the Halifax and Lancaster bombers as they left the area. All, so easy to be seen against the background of the glowing fires below.
The only escape was in the darkness beyond the luminous sky behind them.
Even in the darkness they sought, there was to be no protection. They escaped German air space after two attacks. Twice the corkscrew manoeuvre saved them. The series of rolls, dives and climbs throwing the attacking fighters off.
Now they needed to get back on course. Sgt. Porter using a sextant, shot the stars and fed the information back to Navigator.
They were now over the Dutch country side. P/O Baran called ot that there was a fire in the rear section of the fuselage. The attempts to extinguish it failed and the Skipper F/L Smith called out to abandon the ship.
The five forward crewmen would all have to bailout from the small front escape hatch located under the Bomb Aimers kneeling pad. The hatch was jammed and the men fought to free it up.
Then Boom !
Lancaster VR-F was one of thirteen aircraft shot down by night fighters bewteen 0200 and 0232 hours of June 17th 1944 VR-F was brought down by a fighter of the 6/NJG 1, from Deelen airfield.
It crashed at Utrechtseweg 48, Zeist (Utrecht), Netherlands according to German sources at the time.
