We fly a few legs of our triangular patrol pattern...
...often unable to see much around or below us.
We do get a sighting of this large body of water, which turns out to be Bewl Water...a reservoir which wasn't created until the 1970s, apparently.
Just as I'm about to ask the Controller for a fresh report, one of the boys saves me the trouble. Huns - down there somewhere on the left!
Banking to get a better look, I see yellow-nosed 109s emerging from the murk and climbing up to get at us. I quickly order the boys to get stuck in, and try to roll down onto their tails myself. But I hit what feels like some rather bad adverse yaw, which nearly puts me into a spin. By the time I've recovered full control, two of the Huns have reached my level and are turning in behind me.
After a bit of dancing around merrily, I manage to turn the tables...
...and am soon after one of them, the other Hun having disappeared somewhere.
I get some hits on the 109 and he rolls over and goes down. At this point, I haven't noticed the group of aircraft visible some way off, near the top of the pic below.
My immediate concern is suddenly my erstwhile target's number 2, who hasn't disappeared after all. Saw him just in time! I break hard to get out of his way.
It's while looking back for the 109 that I notice the large formation, below and behind. Bombers with escorts above, by the look of it!
I've managed to open out some distance between myself and the 109 and I use this to make a dash for the raid, with everything pushed and pulled to get as much speed as I can from my kite. Thoughts of what the others are up to are forgotten. These are the people I came here to get, and I'm jolly well going to get them!
...to be continued!