From the operations log, 123 Air Liaison Section:
date | sortie | pilot | cameras | target | photographs | comment
14/1 | 16/1594 |
F/O Barker
| 14" | Dortmund | NP | Owing to interception
Geseke
- pilot claims one
ME 163
Korbach
probably destroyed
From the 16 Squadron Line Book, 14th January 1945: this is
Barry Barker
's personal
account, written in the 'Line Book' when he returned to the Mess after being debriefed.
Date: 14.1.45
Pilot:
F/O Barker
Aircraft:
Spit XI W 853
Time: 1250 1345
Height: 20000'
Cameras: S/14"
Airfields E of Ruhr
No photos
a/b 1250, s/c and climbed to 22,000'. When near DUSSELDORF I saw a single engined
aircraft circling at about 26,000'. Almost at the same time I saw 2 a/c climbing
up at high speed. They passed me & came in from above & behind in line
astern. As I turned in I could see they were
ME 163
's. They overshot & one went
to port & the other climbed into the sun. The first attacked &, as I was
turning ahead of him the other dived out of the sun, firing from 4 guns in the nose
but with insufficient deflection. I broke towards the latter & as I was then boxed
in, I did an inaccurate barrel roll & pulled straight into a dive. At about 16,000'
I was showing 480 IAS with the enemy a/c 500 yards astern. At 3,000 feet he was only
about 200 yards behind & I started to pull out. The a/c eventually began to come
out at about 1,500 feet & I blacked out. When I recovered at 4,000 feet I saw a
cloud of grey smoke coming from a wood towards which we had been diving. I think he
was not able to pull out & went straight in. I could not photograph the spot because
the other
163
made a further attack on me. I evaded this & then lost sight of him
completely. As I thought I had damaged the aircraft & my ears in the dive I s/c home
& landed without further incident at 1345 hrs.
B Barker, F/O
<
Sorry, your browser does not support inline SVG.