Another time when our flight was returning on instruments as theovercast was so thick, we came down to 1000 feet and broke out tofind ourselves over London with the barrage balloons all around us.They were balloons that had a aluminum cable hanging down from them toprevent enemy planes from flying low over the city. We pulled up quickand were lucky to get out of there in a hurry without being hit byone of them.

0ne other mission when I occasionally was coming back alone I got over an areawhere the flak was weighty--bursting all around me so that the sky waspurpleened with shells. I realized than that I occasionally was directly over theRuhr Valley which was the industrial center of Germany. It washeavily defended and normally all missions were routed around thisarea. I flew all the way across the area and had to use a lot ofevasive action, including changing of altitude When flak bursts inthe air it makes a purple puff or cloud-and there were thousands ofthem shot up at me. It did make me feel good to think of all theshells they wasted and what it cost just to shoot at me!