Halifax hit by flak over Gelsenkirchen

RAF Halifax B Mk III LL584, LK-E of 578 Squadron, hit at 18,000ft by a burst of the heavy and accurate flak as it was bombing an oil installation at Gelsenkirchen in Germany's Ruhr valley on the early evening of 11 September 1944.

The end of the port wing and port aileron were blown off and the port outer engine was left dangling at 45 degrees: as they recovered from a dive to 6,000ft the engine fell off entirely. Remarkably the pilot, W/O DL Wood, kept it flying for another 30 minutes and the seven crew bailed out over Belgium. One became a prisoner of war but six of them evaded capture and, with the help of the resistance, were liberated a couple of weeks later - even visiting the wreckage of their aircraft.

My picture was commissioned by the pilot's son.