Fighter Attack

Heroes Remember

Fighter Attack

Transcript

Fighters were, you against me. You felt you had a better chance against a fighter and maybe you didn't but you felt, he's a human being, I can talk to this fella. But one night, we were jumped by a couple of night fighters and that was pretty hairy. Interviewer: Tell me about that. Well, that was a place called Aschaffenburg, which was away deep in the Black Forest. And it had been an average trip and pretty hot over the target but then always when you got out of the target, you got into the darkness, you felt better because you know, your combed by search lights and flak, you think everybody, every German on the ground is looking at you and you alone and firing at you. Then you get into the darkness, you thought, "Well, we're on my way home." But, yet it was not that good because the fighters would usually did not come into the target area. So, they were waiting out there. So, as we were rolling along, and cutting a ...sort of semi-relaxed, I think, it's not as tense as over the target. And an aircraft blew up on my starboard side, I'd say 150 yards away. And it blew up and we saw these parachutes coming out. And what had happened is German night fighter had shot it down. And then he had broken off to port, now when he had straightened up, we're in between he and this Lancaster. And we were still at it perfectly against this burning Lanc. So, he figures he going to get a iron cross tonight and I'm going to get two of them in 30 seconds. But my gunners had seen him break away. So, they alerted me to it and I had 2 crack gunners. And when he came in, they gave me the...they were telling me when... and there's a drill you had it's called a corkscrew. So as soon as they told me corkscrew go port, then my tactic was immediately dove 30 degrees to port or starboard, in this case port and nose down and build your speed up, as fast, harder, full power and going like the clappers. Then after you got to about 260 miles a hour, you did another 30 degree turn, still on a dive. So now, you are going 60 degrees and went you get up to 400 miles an hour then you rolled it back. And these were the commands you gave them, changing and rolling and rolling meant you were changing back. Now, you climb sharply back up 30 degrees and then when you get almost get to the stalling point, you turn to another 30 degrees. So, you are going to be back reasonably on track because you had gone 60 degrees this way and 60 degrees back. But in the meantime, the night fighters coming out of the clappers and he can't slow down as fast cause you're now, now, almost at the stall. And I remember the peak of the cl..., and it was about 125 and it stalled at 115, which I was aware of. My rear gunner called up he says, "Keep her going Skipper." cause he was looking right in at this 88 coming at us with 4 canon and 2 canon and four machine gun and they are all firing at him and I could see, out of the corner of my eye, a tracer all over and above the wing and below it, cause we were turning. And at any rate, the tactic was that he couldn't slow down, which he couldn't, as he went over ahead, the mid-upper gunner put a full burst into his port engine and it caught fire. So, we saw him, he went on, I'd say, about half a mile, then we saw his three parachutes come out which was, meant that they got out of there, which was fine and the aircraft dropped down. And , you know my knees were shaking, I was as tense as could be, and I remember checking, the first thing I did after, was check with the crew, is everyone okay. While that was going, I looked out and there was an air coming directly at me, straight on the point beam. So I alerted the gunners and again the gunner hollered, "Port, two port, go!" And I thought, "Christ, am I going to do this again?" And so, I started her down, but what was happening, the aircraft coming at me was another Lancaster and he had been chased by a Junker 88. So, as we went down, in the first leg of the corkscrew, now this Lanc is going across here and right behind him was the 88. And I don't think that German knew we were even in the same sky as him. And Bill put a full burst right into the cockpit and he went straight up like that and then over and then down. The intelligence said likely he was killed in that first burst, his natural reaction was to haul the stick back. And so, within five minutes, we had two claims.

Description

Mr. James discusses being attacked by fighters and the successful defence of his aircraft.

Lyle James

Mr. James was born February 27, 1917. He grew up in Sarnia, a small Ontario town whose economy depended on Imperial Oil and the Canadian National railroad. Being politically aware, Mr. James considered Hitler to be a global threat; he enlisted with the hope of keeping World War Two from spreading to Canada. After receiving his wings, Mr. James sailed to England where he joined 101 Squadron, Bomber Command in 1943. Mr. James became the pilot of a Lancaster bomber after training in a Wellington. He piloted 32 missions during the second Battle of the Ruhr. Today, Mr. James is a frequent guest speaker at service clubs and schools, where he shares his reflections on the Second World War.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 04:36
Person Interviewed:: Lyle James
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Germany
Battle/Campaign:: Bomber Command
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 101 Squadron
Rank:: Flying Officer
Occupation:: Pilot

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Fighter Attack

Heroes Remember

Fighter Attack

Lyle James

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