Crew of Halifax HX162
First Sortie
Although they had been posted to 419 Squadron on August 4th it would not be until the night of August 27/28 that the Bullis crew would fly it's first operational sortie. The trip proved to be a straight forward run for the crew of Halifax VR-T. Although two similarities would occur between this operation and the next operation.
On this first sortie Bullis was tasked with photographing the target. This was accomplished with a camera connected to the bomb release mechanism. This would mean leaving the bomb doors open and maintaining the slow bomb run speed for a longer period than normal.
On this same operation Halifax VR-X was jumped by a night fighter, in this exchange of rounds fired the fighter came in second. The VR-X rear gunner Sgt. Barnes fired off bursts which brought down the night fighter, his second confirmed "Destroyed".
August 30/31- Muchen Gladbach
As Bullis completed his bomb run, it was found that a 1,000 pound bomb was still hung up on the rack. His only choice was to continue on with the bomb doors open as they tried and eventually did free the bomb. It was a repeat of the previous operation, in that Sgt. Bullis was flying slower and with bomb doors open for a long period of time. Certainly longer then the crew wanted to be in the area.
Their aircraft for the night was VR-X.
Within minutes of dislodging the bomb, VR-X was under attack from a night fighter. The Halifax may have during its slow transit over the lit up target below shown it's silhouette to the night fighters waiting in the darker parts of the sky.
For the second operation in a row VR-X was under attack, Bullis crew for the second operation in a row were crossing over the target with bomb doors open and at a reduced speed.
The facts detailed in the Combat Report filed by Sgt. Potter are:
At 02.19 while at an altitude of 19,000 feet the Halifax was attacked from front Port bow then the enemy fighter passed
under the Halifax. Frontal attacks are not that common, only a few are recorded in 419 Squadron's records.
Once the Bomb Aimer who first saw the attacker passed the word on to Sgt. Potter, the rear gunner,
Potter immediately saw the night fighter when it came into his line of vision.
The FW190 after passing under VR-X maneuvering into position to attack from another quarter. Sgt. Potter who had been watching the fighters actions as the FW190 had silhouetted itself against the light given off from the target and was now astern of the Halifax. The fighter shoot up in a steep climbing roll on to it's back and dove on the starboard quarter of the bomber swerving to the Port before it came in for the attack. Sgt. Potter was ready for the fighter and fired off two bursts as he was ordering the evasive action to Starboard to his captain. The bursts had been direct hits at the short range sending the night fighter in flames down the Starboard Beam below. Four of the crew confirmed the night fighter "Destroyed"
The FW190 after passing under VR-X maneuvering into position to attack from another quarter. Sgt. Potter who had been watching the fighters actions as the FW190 had silhouetted itself against the light given off from the target and was now astern of the Halifax. The fighter shoot up in a steep climbing roll on to it's back and dove on the starboard quarter of the bomber swerving to the Port before it came in for the attack. Sgt. Potter was ready for the fighter and fired off two bursts as he was ordering the evasive action to Starboard to his captain. The bursts had been direct hits at the short range sending the night fighter in flames down the Starboard Beam below. Four of the crew confirmed the night fighter "Destroyed"
And now for two consecutive sorties gunners of VR-X had shot down enemy fighters confirmed "Destroyed".
JD325 had not escaped without damage from the attack. The frontal attack damaged the hydraulic system, Port Inner engine, Port wing, the fuselage, flaps, port ailerons, rudder and bomb doors. The journey home was completed on three engines.
Even with all the damage Sgt. Bullis brought VR-X back home, although it was recorded as a difficult landing the aircraft and crew were soon back in action.
September 22/23 1943 - Hanover
The cooling weather of September brought icing to the Halifax aircraft of Sgt. Bullis on several operations another operation had mechanical failure of a starboard engine booster. On the night of September 22/23 it was the human engineered dangers they would again face.
An encounter with an Me109 was recorded in a Combat Report completed by Rear Gunner Sgt. Potter:
"Whilst on operations to Hannover on the night of 22/23 September, 1943 at 21.40 hours flying at a height of 20,000
feet at position over the target Engineer of Halifax "F" Serial No. LW238 sighted a Me109 on the port quarter over the
target firing at the bomber at a range of 250 yards. At this time the Rear Gunner was searching on the port, and
upon notification from Engineer, swung his turret around and at the same time giving evasive action, corkscrew
to port, and opened fire with a long burst. the fighter then broke away below and no further contact was made."
The report goes on to mention no hits were observed on the fighter nor was there any damage to the Halifax.
September 27/28 1943 - Hanover
The preparation and necessity of a Combat Report is the responsibility of the Intelligence Officer. For the actions that occurred on this operation of September 27/28th it seemed not to warrant a Combat Report. No archives list a report for the night of September 27/28th by any of the gunners of the Bullis crew. The details are only reported in the squadron's ORB log.
The target was again Hannover, the Halifax VR-F, the details in the Operations Book mention that the flak was light over the area. It went on to mention that the night fighters were the main defense for the target. The difference that the crew noticed was that the fighters appeared to be working in pairs.
Bullis and crew on LW238 were to experience both defenses.
At first they were attacked by two night fighters as they were in the bombing rub, one of which punched a cannon hole in the port tail plane. No mention of the actions taken, evasive actions would certainly have been taken. The Halifax was then hit by flak in the port engine nacelle, does not mention which engine. The Halifax crew were uninjured in the attack and Bullis brought the Halifax back to Bassingbourne were other 419 bombers landed that night.
January 20th 1944 - Berlin
Fifteen of Moose squadron's Halifax were on their way to Berlin, leaving base in late afternoon. The aircraft were to rendezvous south of Heligoland, before reaching this point intercom trouble between the pilot and the rear gunner began. Sgt. Potter had frost accumulation on his mouthpiece, he had changed the helmet three times between reaching the altitude for oxygen masks were needed and eventually the point where they were shot down. The pilot, P/O Bullis comments in his interview years later that it was working when needed most. Referring to when they were under attack.
However the intercom was only one of several problems starting to trouble the crew. The H2S radar and "Fishpond" both stopped working. It was now up to WO Towers to navigate them to the target which he successfully did placing the Halifax directly over a direction marker 60 miles from the target.
It was about here, twenty minutes out that an Me109 came out of the clouds from astern. There was no time for any actions to be transmitted to the pilot before the bomber was raked by cannon and machine gun fire along the entire length. The F/E Sgt. Ferguson and the Mid-Upper gunner Sgt. Sanderson were killed and Bullis, Towers and Tech/Sgt. Boisvert were all wounded.
During all this Sgt. Potter in the rear turret had returned fire on the Me109 and sent it falling into clouds in fire with smoke pouring from it. VR-X had claimed another fighter to it's credit. The Halifax itself was in bad shape with two dead and three wounded of her crew, damage to bomber was to the rudder, elevator controls, windscreen, instrument panel and worst of all a fire in the still loaded bomb bay. P/O Bullis had to struggle to regain some of the 12,000 feet they had fallen. The bombs were jettisoned and as all who could were standing ready to bail out.
After making it to 18,000 feet Bullis found the controls made it difficult to maintain a true course or airspeed. As the erratic control of the Halifax brought it over the heavily defended Lauenburg, northwest of Hamburg, flak hit both port engines and made them into flaming torches. The order was given and Towers, Boisvert, Bonathan and Potter left the ship.
Bullis made the decision to stay with the Halifax and try to land it, as it had now been found that Sanderson was still alive and unable to jump. The entire port wing had been on fire for some time now, weakened by the fire the wing fell off. Bullis had to make the agonizing decision to leave the ship on his own. With a wounded hip he managed to get out of the twisting and burning aircraft.
WO Towers was also received minor injuries in the parachute drop by the way his parachute which was not properly harnessed. All four of the crew were captured and placed in POW Camps. USAAF T.Sgt. Boisvert spent a long time in hospitalization. It is unsure if he was sent to one of the Camps or remained in hospital.
The crew were on eleven operations together and had been together from OTU through 1664 HCU training. P/O Bullis had completed an addition two operations on August 9/10 and August 10/11 of 1943.
