The return would be similar to the outward trip, but with frontal cloud to cross somewhere near Holland. The actual conditions experienced was 10/10ths cloud but the tops of this cloud varied from 6 to 16,000 feet. The winds at 20,000 feet were 85 mph with some icing at 20,000. On their return to England they found rain or drizzle in south Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Visibility in this rain was two to four miles.

In the cockpit of Lane Charlie II, of 626 Squadron, flown by Jack Currie, an unusual occurrence took place. The WOP picked up a broadcast on the Group operation frequency as they were climbing over base. It was a recall signal and they had to land at Exeter. As the weather looked all right they decided to press-on and wait for a repeat of the broadcast. Half an hour later when they were halfway across the North Sea, John Colles, the WOP reported to Currie again: ‘Wireless operator to Skipper. You were right. I have just had a cancellation of the recall. We’re to continue as briefed.’

It transpired that the original broadcast was intended for a small force of Wellingtons who were being kept out of the way of the Main Force effort, but the damage had already been partially done. 113 of the Main Force had indeed heeded the call and landed at Exeter. Of the 383 that took off, 295 Lancasters, five Halifaxes and 11 Mosquitos (total 311) attacked the target.

When Jack Currie and his crew reached Berlin they received a warm welcome from the flak gunners. It seemed more intense and was as accurate as ever. His rear gunner called that he seemed starved of oxygen and was feeling dizzy, so Currie sent Colles back to check the supply. He found the gunner semi-conscious, his oxygen tube probably frozen as ice could be felt in it. He also felt very cold so the heating to his electric suit must also have failed. The WOP was told to get him out of the turret and got in himself. This was easier said than done, as every time he touched the gunner he woke up and refused to leave his position. Currie told him he must be got out at once, he tried again, but it was impossible. Currie then ordered him back to his radio.

They then commenced their bombing run. Their bomb aimer was new on the squadron and was doing things by the book, much of the time, to the displeasure of the rest of the crew. He wanted to do a dummy run, but Currie told him as calm as he could in the circumstances: ‘You don’t do dummy runs on Berlin! Let them go!’ Out tumbled the bombs and the aircraft lifted as it was lightened of its load.

On arrival back at Wickenby, their base, conditions were very poor and control suggested they divert to Acklington, north of Newcastle. The reply from Currie was that they had a casualty on board and requested permission to land. He was asked the nature of the casualty and told them his rear gunner was cold and anoxic, with possible frostbite. His landing was successful.

Flight Lieutenant Short of 50 Squadron was on the homeward journey when his bomb aimer, Pilot Officer Odgers, who was manning the front turret, sighted two lights approaching fast, below on the port bow at 600 yards. He identified it as a twin-engined aircraft and opened fire with long bursts of 250 rounds. The fighter did not attack but maintained its course and was lost to starboard.

Another Lancaster of 50 Squadron, flown by Pilot Officer Weatherstone, was also on the way home when two enemy fighters were seen – a FW190 and a Ju88. He immediately started to corkscrew; both gunners Sergeant Lineham and Flight Sergeant Collingwood, opened fire and continued to fire while the 190 flew out and above to 600 yards on the starboard side. Many hits were scored on the fighter and it broke off its attack. The Junkers then commenced its attack, the gunners hitting this also. Then both fighters joined up some distance to port where the gunners continued to fire at them until they were lost to sight, but both were claimed as damaged.

A Lancaster of 432 RCAF Squadron (DS792 ‘U-Uncle’), from Eastmoor in Yorkshire was on its third raid to Berlin in this series, flown by Pilot Officer Jim McIntosh from British Columbia. On the way to the target his airspeed indicator and altimeter went U/S. Just after turning for home at 3 am, an enemy fighter was seen by Sergeant Bandle, the rear gunner – a Me110. Both Bandle and the mid-upper, Sergeant Dedauw, opened fire as Bandle instructed the pilot to corkscrew. After a long burst from both gunners, the fighter was seen to stop firing but not before many shells had hit the Lancaster. The fighter’s port engine caught fire and it was seen to go down in a dive, shrouded in smoke and flame. The engineer, Flight Sergeant Wally King, reported seeing the fighter spin out of control several times.

McIntosh was in trouble, for in making the corkscrew, hits were scored on the elevators which caused the control column to slam forward and sent the bomber into a dive. They lost twelve thousand feet but by putting both feet on the instrument panel and one arm around the control column and the other on the elevator trim, he managed by giving everything he had to force the aircraft up and out of the dive at about 10,000 feet. The compasses were out, the rudder controls jammed and there was now little response from the elevators. McIntosh, still keeping both arms around the control column to maintain height, made for Woodbridge aerodrome. Owing to shortage of fuel from a damaged tank, it was touch and go, and on landing he used all the runway, putting down on one wheel when they found the starboard tyre had been blown off, but he got them down safely. The damage to ‘Uncle’ was considerable. In addition to the damaged wheel, both starboard engine nacelles were gone, hydraulics smashed and twisted, two large tears in the starboard wing near the dinghy stowage (the dinghy itself was hanging out) and the tailplane riddled with cannon and machine guns hits. Through the fuselage there were five cannon shell holes, three of which had burst inside near the navigator. The rear and mid-upper turrets had cannon holes in them, one shell having travelled the entire length of the fuselage before exploding. Every propeller blade was holed and one split. Miraculously none of the crew was injured and Jim McIntosh was awarded an immediate DFC for his courage and determination to bring his machine and crew home.