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26th February 1944 The
Combat
Report of George Jaspis Smith
and Jaspis were over Knocke in Belgium. Below, soldiers were seen running for
cover in the pillboxes along the front, too late. Typhoons coming in at zero
feet, Jaspis had different plans for the rest aside from the brief they had been
given to fly low along the promenade making their presence felt. He reported on
his return in his excitable graphic English, and Ziegler took it down verbatim. "South of Bruxelles I leave the others because I must see my fiancée. I fly down to Gembloux which is near my house, yes, if I fly around. Then I see three aircraft and I chase very fast and then I see it is Smith and they see it is me. Then I say to Smithy I come home later and he say OK. Then I go down past Bruxelles again to see my fiancée, yes, who lives in a hameau just near to me and I find myself at Fruges. I know it is Fruges because there are coalmines, yes, where I am gone in peacetime. Then I come to my house and I make many dives and I see my mother and I take many photos of my mother and she, perhaps, is very worried, yes, because she know it is me. I also see my friends house down the road for he has a factory and he make many vegetables in peacetime. It is just here near the railway, come, I will show you (he takes Ziegler to a map and points out the road). And as I climb up to 1000ft I see an aircraft and it is a Ju88 and I am very excited and I get behind because he is going to land at Beauvechain but I get behind and I land sooner. I give one ring deflection and I fire, but only the camera she work because my finger I have on the wrong button because I am so excited. My mother is looking and perhaps my fiancée is looking and my friends factory is here - come, I will show you. Then I fire and I see all my shots going poof poof into the Ju88. I hit the fuselage and tail end piece comes off and catch fire again from 50 yards and the starboard she catch fire and explode and there are flames and the port engine explode and the Jerry crash on the ground and there are huge flames and all the time it is near my house. Please do not say anything about this; please I do not want anyone to know, yes?
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