(Rus) No 51 Squadron Halifax II Series I HR782/MH:V, with Fg Off R. Burchett and crew, successfully carried out an attack on Munchen-Gladbach during the night of 29/30 August 1943, with few problems until returning to England. At 0403hrs, while at 4,000ft ten miles south-east of their Ossington base, there was a collision with a Lancaster, thought to be on a reciprocal course. The top of the port fin was knocked off and both port propellers were damaged. Burchett could only keep control by increasing speed, but he managed successfully to bring the aircraft down at 180mph. As so often happened, following repair the aircraft was finally lost at a later date—in this case after 168 hours' total flying time on the Leipzig raid of 3/4 December 1943. (IWM CE97)
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