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Taylor, Robert
No Turning Back
On the night of November 3rd, 1943 Flight Lieutenant Bill Reid took his No.61 Squadron Lancaster off to join a force detailed to attack Dusseldorf, deep in the heart of Germany. Right after crossing the coast of Holland they were attacked by an Me110 night fighter, its gunfire shattering the Lancaster's windscreen and damaging the elevator, making the aircraft difficult to handle. Though wounded in the head, shoulders and hands, after ascertaining his crew were unscathed, mentioning nothing of his injuries, Bill Reid continued towards the target, still over an hour ahead of him.
Closer to the target his Lancaster was again attacked, this time by a Focke Wulf 190 which raked the bomber from stem to stern. His navigator was killed, his wireless operator fatally injured, and Bill was again wounded in the attack. Though communications within the aircraft were severed, heating had failed, and only the rear turret remained operative, Bill Reid flew his bucking Lancaster steadily of towards Dusseldorf. Having memorized his course he brought the bomber right over the target with such accuracy the bomb-aimer knew nothing of his captain's injuries or casualties to his comrades. Photographs confirmed the bombs were released right on target.
Growing weak from loss of blood and lapsing into periods of unconsciousness, with the aid of the flight engineer and bomb-aimer, Bill steered the Lancaster towards home navigating by the pole star and moon. Despite the intense cold, they survived a barrage of AA gunfire as they passed over the Dutch coast. As they approached England the captain was revived, took control, and landed safely even though the runway lights were partially obscured by mist, one leg of the damaged undercarriage collapsing as the weight came on. For his tenacity and devotion to duty Dill Reid was decorated with Britain's highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross.
Robert Taylor's dramatic reconstruction shows a split-second during Bill Reid's epic flight as the Fw190 flashes past the port side of the mighty Lancaster. His aircraft now crippled and almost defenseless, illuminated by search lights and fires from below, thunders on through the hostile night sky over Germany. As a reminder of the heroics of, and a tribute to all the RAF Bomber crews who flew the torturous night raids against Germany during World War II, a group of distinguished RAF World War II bomber crews have joined Bill Reid VC in signing this superb collector edition.
Print Size: 31 3/4" x 23 3/4"
Aircrew Edition: 600 S/N
Signed By: Bill Reid, Wilf Burnett, Sir Ivor Broom, Tony Iveson
