A Story of War

I go up and try and loot Wesel but all I get is a bedside lamp. We pass ‘Monty’ himself on the way up. Down south of Welden the country is rich with German chickens etc and many undamaged farms. The Rhine is fast moving and we cross by an American built pontoon bridge.

I go out with Nick Bowen in Area 3 and we get alot of flak which I don’t see, though which he tells me about. Later I see flashes of light flak exploding, but a long way off. I had previously done a very successful shoot in the Stockhumer Bosch, north of Emmerich, on two camouflaged gun pits, with many direct hits, and seeing smoke issuing from an unobserved position nearby.

Today a signal from Group to the effect that armed recces, and presumably us, is to be pressed on regardless of weather conditions and crosswinds. Consequently we have to waive our ‘union rules’ of 3000’ and press on underneath. The result has been one spit (F/Lt Blundell-Hill), and two mustangs hit by flak. I have to do Area 3 and as the cloud is down 10/10 to 1000’, I send my No.2 home and press on. I get a bit lost at times, see nothing worthwhile, except one truck with its characteristic Bosch mottled camouflage, and near Wayringen I see a red golfball pass pretty close, so I leap into the cloud, cross the bomb line, and abandon the rest of my road.

But now? I have arranged to go on leave on the 5th, and had hoped to have seen Monica in Chelsea, but there are three days to go and I shall have indubitably have gone for a Burton by then…