"On the night of November 3rd, 1943, Flight Lieutenant Reid was pilot
and captain of a Lancaster aircraft detailed to attack Dusseldorf. Shortly after crossing the Dutch coast, the pilot's windscreen
was shattered by fire from a Messerschmitt 110. Owing to a failure in
the heating circuit, the rear gunner's hands were too cold for him to
open fire immediately or to operate his microphone and so give warning
of danger; but after a brief delay he managed to return the
Messerschmitt's fire and it was driven off. During the fight with the Messerschmitt, Flight Lieutenant Reid
was wounded in the head, shoulders and hands. The elevator trimming tabs
of the aircraft were damaged and it became difficult to control. The
rear turret, too, was badly damaged and the communications system and
compasses were put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid ascertained
that his crew were unscathed and, saying nothing about his own injuries,
he continued his mission. Soon afterwards, the Lancaster was attacked by a Focke-Wulf 190.
This time, the enemy's fire raked the bomber from stem to stern. The
rear gunner replied with his only serviceable gun but the state of his
turret made accurate aiming impossible. The navigator was killed and the
wireless operator fatally injured. The mid-upper turret was hit and the
oxygen system put out of action. Flight Lieutenant Reid was again
wounded and the flight engineer, though hit in the forearm, supplied him
with oxygen from a portable supply. Flight Lieutenant Reid refused to be turned from his objective
and Dusseldorf was reached some 50 minutes later. He had memorized his
course to the target and had continued in such a normal manner that the
bomb-aimer, who was cut off by the failure of the communications system,
knew nothing of his captain's injuries or of the casualties to his
comrades. Photographs show that, when the bombs were released, the
aircraft was right over the center of the target. Steering by the pole star and the moon, Flight Lieutenant Reid
then set course for home. He was growing weak from loss of blood. The
emergency oxygen supply had given out. With the windscreen shattered,
the cold was intense. He lapsed into semi-consciousness. The flight
engineer, with some help from the bomb-aimer, kept the Lancaster in the
air despite heavy anti-aircraft fire over the Dutch coast. The North Sea crossing was accomplished. An airfield was sighted. The captain revived, resumed control and made ready to land. Ground
mist partially obscured the runway lights. The captain was also much
bothered by blood from his head wound getting into his eyes. But he made
a safe landing although one leg of the damaged undercarriage collapsed
when the load came on.
Wounded in two attacks, without oxygen, suffering severely from cold,
his navigator dead, his wireless operator fatally wounded, his aircraft
crippled and defenseless, Flight Lieutenant Reid showed superb courage
and leadership in penetrating a further 200 miles into enemy territory
to attack one of the most strongly defended targets in Germany, every
additional mile increasing the hazards of the long and perilous journey
home. His tenacity and devotion to duty were beyond praise."
From FltLt. Reid's Victoria Cross citation, awarded on 10 December 1943.
A truly skilled and stubborn ally!
Brian
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