Operations (Month 2)

The crew's relative inexperience means that they do not fly in the "Firestorm" raid in the Battle of Hamburg where a top secret radar jamming device called "Window" is to be used. It is over a month since they flew their 2nd operation. 29/30th July & 1/2nd August 1943…… the third and fourth operations 777 bombers (including 16 Lancasters from Fiskerton) attack Hamburg.

All the Fiskerton aircraft return safely. The raid is not considered a great success; the Pathfinders come in 2 miles too far to the east and the intended area is not hit. This Hamburg raid is where the entrances to the bomb shelter under a large departmental store were blocked and 370 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning. The crew return to Hamburg two days later in another large 740 bomber raid but the crew report that no target indicators were seen and that it was a very scattered effort. After flying through terrible thunderstorms they land back at Fiskerton at 0510hrs. 10th/15th August……the 5th and 6th operation On the 10th August twelve bombers from Fiskerton contributed towards a 650 bomber attack on the city of Nuremburg. We know little about this raid except that F/O Randall reported seeing no Target Indicators in the area and that his bombs were dropped on fires observed in the town. The target for the 15th August was Milan. It was a successful raid. This final entry written in his diary contains some significant words.

"Landed at 4:30am. Very tired. Interrogation then slept till midday. Cleaned guns and wrote to Joan later. Stand down. Had shower then bed."