We took off at 8.00 a.m. from our base at Oldenburg (30 km west of Bremen]. Our orders were weather reconnaissance on a flight path to the Faroes via the Fair Isle channel, avoiding enemy contact (fighting!). We headed north-west across the North Sea through heavy snow flurries at 30-50 feet above sea level, occasionally climbing to 3-400 metres to avoid the worst patches but encountering higher winds in the process. After three hours, as we were approaching the Northern Scottish Islands, the snow showers became intense that I was forced to climb to about 2600 metres to avoid them. Shortly after that, through a hole in the clouds; I saw Fair Isle. After passing through a further cloud-bank we flew into a clear patch, and soon after spotted two Hurricanes climbing up towards us at about four o'clock. I tried to make for the clouds, but they were too far away and soon the first Hurricane came up and attacked from behind.  His bullets raked the plane from tail to nose. The second Hurricane came in and I slewed the aircraft to one side to try and get away but he hit us too, in the engine. After the third attack we managed to get into the clouds, where the Hurricanes couldn't follow; so 1 was lost for a while. Our Gunner (mechanic Benhard Luking) was wounded with shots through the legs and our Wireless Operator (George Nentwig) was badly shot in his side. Leo Gburek, our Meteorologist, went to the rear from the cockpit to bandage Nentwig, and Lucking came up to take his place.

The plane was a mess; the only instruments left working were a small magnetic compass, the airspeed indicator and altimeter. My first plan was to head for Norway, so I turned east. Shortly after this the starboard engine started to pour oily black smoke; so I closed it down; and from that moment I knew we couldn't get home, because the wheels also dropped down. So I thought. what now was to be done and thought about jumping, but that depended where we were! Next the port engine started to smoke so I shut it down to. Not long after we came out of the clouds and saw Fair Isle just right on the wing 2000 metres below, and I decided to land there. In order to avoid more fighter attacks I dived down to lose height and gain speed. 1 came in from the north-east past North Haven (?) and touched down, but the plane jumped in the air again, as we were too fast. So I glided over my intended landing point. The plane wouldn't go down so I forced it down using the rudder and crashed it down; the plane skidded along the ground, going through a stone wall and catching fire.

As we came to a halt the first man to get out was the mechanic with his wounded legs - he just crawled through the remains of the. Plexiglas nose! The W/O jumped through a hole in the side of the  fuselage which had appeared during the crash. The. plane was beginning to burn fiercely so I unhooked my belts, opened the sliding hatch above my head, and pulled myself out. I was slightly burned about my face and wrists in the process. Then the flares (?) and ammunition started to explode, we sat down on the grass and had time to think. The Meteorologist and 2nd Wireless Operator were found 200 metres behind the main wreckage.- both dead. It was a, pity as Gburek was not injured until the impact; the Wireless Operator was very badly injured and I am not sure whether he would have survived anyway.