9 July 1940: Bill Millington's first victory

At 3.05 p.m. on 9 July 1940, 79 Squadron’s A Flight embarked on a patrol over Dover. Bill Millington was Red Two. Thirty minutes later, the Hurricanes spotted a formation of nine Messerschmitt Me 109s, heading towards Dover. As they climbed to intercept, Yellow Section and Red Three were lost in the clouds. When Bill and Red One reached 20,000 feet, they orbited to maintain height until they were within range. It wasn’t long before they were ‘milling around in a terrific dogfight’. Bill ‘climbed up behind two Me 109s who ventured from the base of thick cloud ... I carried out an astern attack on the rear enemy aircraft, opening fire at 300 yards and holding the burst for about three seconds’. He hit the Messerschmitt and a piece flew from it as his ‘tracer converged at his cockpit’. A plume of thick black smoke streamed from the engine as the 109 dived steeply, then crashed into the water a few miles from the French coast. Bill was modest about his first victory—‘I was fortunate to get on the tail of a Hun and he was soon diving for the sea in flames’.