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BOFORS GUN 5
First Blood
One of a series of accounts of incidents, in chronological order, whilst commanding a Bofors Gun detachment (5 of 7) by Cyril Frederick Perkins

A couple of days after the hill climb fiasco we were relieved of training to take over a twenty four hour manning duty. The site was high on the cliffs between Shanklin and Sandown in a very exposed position. We took over under cover of darkness and shortly after dawn a warm sun brought some welcome relief from the atrocious weather we had previously experienced. We had had an early breakfast and somewhat envious of the skeleton manning crew the rest of the Detachment wandered but to the gun pit to chat and thaw out tired and aching bodies.
Willie was on spotter duty and I jumped up on the sandbagged ramparts to give him a spell for a while. 'Who are they Skipper' ? he asked cocking a thumb in the direction of a nearby look out
post. I had been warned of their presence on the cliff but had not at that time informed the Detachment so I addressed my response loudly for all to hear.
'Observer Corps Willie' 'Their job is to maintain a twenty four watch of their section of sea and contact their Watchtower pronto of any intrusion onto their patch.'
'They seem to be waving at us' continued Willie and I looked across to return their greeting but Iquickly saw from their agitation that there was more in their wave than a greeting.
They were indicating and I followed the direction of their gesturing hands and arms and almost immediately I had them two tiny dots approaching low over the sea out of the sun and at very high speed. The Detachment moved as one man as I ordered 'Take Post' .
Those aircraft recognition charts crowded into my mind as the silhouettes of ME 109's momentarily filled my binocular lenses. 'Engage' I screamed and back came the response 'On' and again 'On' as the two aircraft now with swastikas clearly visible came within range but no order to 'Fire' came from Bob and I looked across to determine Why ?
The Bofors Gun was depressed below zero degrees and could not be fired until the elevation moved above zero plus five and we waited as precious seconds ticked by.
Some four hundred yards from shore the two planes separated and zoomed upwards to make a circular attack on Sandown and in that instant the elevation moved above zero plus five and Bob yelled 'Fire'. But it was too late as our tracers screamed skywards our target banked and swung away out of range. We watched and waited helplessly as the two planes swooped on Sandown and dropped the bombs they carried under each wing. Then they were over us again and our tracers joined with others as we concentrated on the plane seawards of us.
I heard the chatter of our quadruple Lewis Guns as Tommy and Toddy blazed away at the second plane as it crossed our dead arc and then it happened. Tracers and aeroplane merged into a huge crimson flame and our target literally disintegrated before our eyes. As we stopped firing bits of aircraft floated seawards dropping into the sea below causing hardly a ripple on the water then disappearing as the ever hungry waves devoured them. I scanned for another target but the one that got away was already a fading dot above the ocean a survivor perhaps to placate a German mother who would mourn the loss of a son that day.
A figure in the blue serge of the Observer Corps came over pumped our hands and slapped a few backs and I enquired 'Did they do much damage in the town'? 'Ah' he answered 'They hit the bloody Vicarage - they haven't dug them out yet'. There was work to do re-stock the ammunition - change the barrel and clean the used one - jubilation would come later -the downed aircraft was our first blood - the Troop's first too but at that moment we all knew there was a long day ahead and as the old saying goes 'One swallow does not make a Summer' but of course there was always Toddy. After re-loading the Lewis Gun pans and checking his lunchtime menu he had his paint pot out again and with steady hand and determined chin thrust forward he painted a swastika onto the breach casing of the Bofors Gun - before our Bofors Gun war was over he would add three more.

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