Nigel Neville
56th Squadron
North Weald
August 25
17 confirmed
3 Minutes WEP

After a few days of milk runs, enemy contact again! We flew into a big bank of bombers and I started a climb to come swooping down on them. They must of seen us because right then, the two bomber flights broke through each other and ran for home as my squad mates pounced on them. In my hesitation over whom to attack, I ended up attacking no one and instead watched as innumerable individual combats broke off in innumerably different directions. I thought I was going to go home empty handed but as I was flying off to see if any stragglers were headed for the coast, I caught a little gleam of silver out of the corner of my eye below me. I dove down hard to find myself on the tail of a single 109! He dove and twisted down and away as I strove to stay with him. He got a little bit of a lead and headed for home with me in pursuit. Shortly I looked back to see one of those rakishly good-looking Spitfires trying to join our soiree. He was going to steal my kill! Well, I poured on the WEP and was determined to slag my engine if I had to! After a while, the 109 realized he wasn't going to make it back with both of us on his tail and dove down to try to get into the ground fog and escape that way. I managed to close in the dive and fired as he tried to turn every which way. I got some good hits before momentarily losing him in the fog. As I came out, I saw his plane going down a thousand yards away to crash into some farmland. No chute was seen. I headed back to base with an undamaged engine (for once) and put in my claim. I've just received conformation and a promotion to Flight Lieutenant as well! For being worried about going home empty handed, it ended up being quite a day... 6 kills claimed by the squadron against the loss of Perkins from A flight, a good fellow to everyone who knew him.