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Green section was ordered to 15,000 feet over Warmwell. They were vectored onto a Junkers Ju 88 over the channel at 10,000 feet. The attack was delivered at 16.20 p.m. Ken’s individual fighter combat report is extant and he can tell of this encounter:
‘RT of Green One
was unserviceable so I became Green One. I was ordered to 15,000 feet over
Warmwell and was then vectored to Ju 88. As there was cloud at 10,000 feet
Green Two [Pilot Officer Williams] was below cloud and I went above cloud at 11,500
feet. When cloud broke I went down to given height and sighted Ju 88 ahead on
the right two miles away. Green Two was left behind below cloud. I gave Tally
Ho but Green Two could not find me. I made alternate quarter attacks from left
and right from 300 to 200 yards aiming first at the gunners’ positions and then
at each engine.’
[Just breaking
off here for some authorly interpolation: looks like Ken put into practice what
he discovered on the 18th when he inspected the crashed Ju 88. But back to Ken’s
account now.]
‘EA took slight
evasive action, heading for cloud on a southerly course. White and black puffs
of smoke came from both engines and there was no return fire after my second
attack.
I continued to
attack and eventually the EA, now at about 8000 feet, dived vertically towards
the sea, with both engines on fire. As my ammunition was finished I flew on a
northerly course, and came to the Isle of Wight. My engine was missing slightly
so I made for Portsmouth aerodrome, where I landed and after checking engine
returned to base’.
What Ken did not
include in his combat report—and why would he?—was that before he finished
checking the engine he met up with some of ‘the old gang’ at the Airspeed
works. When his Spitfire was declared all sound he ‘ran up engine, cleared out
and shot up the works’ in a final farewell.
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