Night fighter vs night fighter over Germany

14th June 1943: The Luftwaffe night fighters' radar signals betray their presence to the RAF night fighters that are hunting them

Beaufighter night fighter in the home defence role. Searchlights on! Covers are removed and crews stand by to take off in search of a single enemy aircraft

A close-up view of a Beaufighter earlier in the war.

On the night of the 14th June 1943 Bomber Command visited the German city of Oberhausen. The Oboe-equipped Mosquitoes of the Pathfinder force located the centre of the old town with their sky markers and the main force bombed accurately through the cloud. Nevertheless of the 197 Lancasters taking part 17 were lost, a rate of 8.4%. The German night fighter defences were becoming better organised - their Airborne Interception radar was making a difference.

The wrecked rear turret of Avro Lancaster B Mark I, ED413 'DX-M' "Minnie the Moocher", of No. 57 Squadron RAF at Scampton, Lincolnshire, after returning from a night raid to Oberhausen, Germany, on the night of 14/15 June 1943, during which German night fighters attacked it. A cannon shell exploded in the rear turret, killing the gunner, Sergeant R F Haynes of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, while further strikes smashed the radio and navigational equipment and riddled the aircraft's fuselage with holes. The pilot, Sergeant A H Moores of Bromley, Kent, who was on his fifth operation over Germany, carried on nevertheless and bombed the target before successfully returning to Scampton.

In the moonlight I caught a glimpse of an aircraft on my port beam. At that moment he straightened out, heading south at 10,000 feet. An Me 110. Perhaps he had lost me on his AI. At 400 yards' range I opened fire, gradually easing off the deflection so that as I rolled in astern of him the dot on my electric gunsight was centred on his fuselage.