The Fateful Night

On the night of 29 December 1943 Bill’s crew took off from Ludford Magna in their aircraft “T” for Tommy to take part in a large night-time raid on Berlin, involving 717 Lancasters and Halifaxes from different bomber squadrons.  Bill’s crew successfully made it to the target area and dropped their bombs before turning for home.  Anti-aircraft fire and night fighter aircraft made the return trip over enemy territory very hazardous.  Their luck eventually ran out when “T” for Tommy was hit by flak and shot down between Hanover and Bremen.

While Bill later describes his last raid, right up until the moment they arrived over Berlin, he stops short of explaining the circumstances surrounding their being shot down.  This seems a strange omission for the usually descriptive Bill Smith.  A clue to the reasons for this, however, might be gained from a reference to the fateful night in a letter he wrote to his mother several months later:

Somehow I knew it was going to happen… it was a terrible feeling, but nothing to compare with what followed.  I try not to think about it, but I am afraid that night will haunt me for a long time.

- Bill Smith, letter to Mrs Alice Smith, 11 Jul 1944 1999/195.14bn

Perhaps he was simply reluctant to commit these difficult memories to paper.

Next section: Capture.