Rose, losing height, tried to pass under the stern of the Gneisenau but flew right over Prinz Eugen, nearly colliding with her mast. As they swerved away from her barrage, Lee looked round and saw gunner Ginger Johnson sprawled over his gun. He was dead. Then he saw blood running down Rose's side and realized he was also hit.
Yet Rose managed to bring the plane down on the ice-cold waves half a mile from the Prinz Eugen. Lee dragged out the yellow rubber dinghy and pulled Rose in. As he did so, the battered Swordfish sank, taking Johnson's body with it.
The third Swordfish in the first wave was piloted by Charles Kingsmill. Their first view of the Germans was when his gunner, Donald Bunce, saw a German destroyer tearing through the water. At the same time the Swordfish was attacked by German fighters and their cannon shells ripped through the fabric. Bunce fired his Vickers at them and then stood up to see if there were any more coming. When he went to sit down again his seat had gone. There was a big hole underneath and three-quarters of the fuselage was already a series of gaping tears and holes.
Suddenly, through the mist, his observer "Mac" Samples caught a glimpse of a big ship which he thought was the Prinz Eugen. They staggered forward over the battle-fleet screen with everything coming up at them. It all seemed so unreal that they became almost detached. They watched the shells and bullets ripping through their wings as if it was happening to somebody else.
A group of Focke-Wolfes swooped on Kingsmill's plane. Bunce had never seen one before. When the first one dived on their Swordfish, he was uncertain whether it was one of theirs. He shouted through the voice pipe, "What's this? Shall I fire at it?" Samples shouted back, "Fire at any bloody thing!"
He was facing backwards so he could direct his pilot away from the planes diving on their tail. Both Bunce and Samples stood up screaming "Bugger off, you bastards!" at the German planes. This was an automatic reaction to conquer their fear. They also shook their fists and made rude two-fingered gestures.
Then a cannon shell hit the fuselage between Kingsmill. and his observer and exploded, wounding Samples. Bunce saw the pilot and the observer covered in blood, which began running over the plane. He continued firing and "Mac" Samples still kept telling Kingsmill to try and dodge the attacking German aircraft — but he was too busy concentrating on the Prinz Eugen.
Kingsmill remembers, "The tracer came floating gently towards us and then whizzed past. There were more and more large splotches in the sea as aircraft and ships fired at us and their shells burst into the waves. We were really in it now. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and my foot went squelchy. Oddly enough I didn't feel any more pain and managed to keep control of the plane. Samples got hit in the legs at the same time but Gunner Donald Bunce was unhurt. The sea was rough and I was not certain that my torpedo would run properly. I chugged along at fifty feet but could not at first get close enough to drop it."
Kingsmill turned back to make another run across the intense flak sent up by the destroyer screen. As he flew once again towards Prinz Eugen, the German gun crews in sleek black anti-flash overalls continued to fire everything they had at him. To Schmalenbach and his gunners Kingsmill's Sword-fish was coming unbelievably slowly — but it was still flying.
Samples felt a burning sensation in his leg and when he looked down at his black flying boots he was astonished to see that in one there was a neat pattern like buttonholes. It was only when blood started spurting out of them that he realized he had been hit by machine-gun bullets. He felt no pain— only surprised interest. Gazing at his leg drilled with holes, he did not notice Kingsmill drop his torpedo aimed at Prinz Eugen from 2,000 yards.
As Kingsmill's Swordfish, torn and shaken by flak, veered back once again over the destroyers, a shell sliced off the tops of two of the three cylinders of his engine, leaving him with hardly any power. He pulled the stick back, "hanging on to the prop" to keep her aloft. With her fabric tattered like an old blanket, the plane began gradually sinking towards the water, when the engine burst into flames and the port wing caught fire. Both Kingsmill and Samples were wounded, but they were still in control and Bunce kept firing and screaming insults at the Germans. Kingsmill tried to shout to Samples through the voice pipe, not knowing it was shattered, to say he going to try and bring her back to base. Covered in blood, Samples managed to climb towards him and shout into his ear, "We will never do it. Try and ditch near those friendly MTBs."
He pointed to Pumphrey's MTBs, who were still in the area. Watching Esmonde's gallant Swordfish coming in wave-high, the MTBs realized that most of them would be shot down and the aircrews might need help if they ditched. So they cruised around out of range waiting to see what happened. The E-boats were also near. Kingsmill still kept his aircraft under control although she seemed to move as slowly as if flying through glue. As he staggered over the last E-boat, his engine finally died and he came down towards the sea.
Weaving a little above wave level, Sq. Ldr. Kingcombe watched Esmonde and his Swordfish attacking in two "vics" of three. He said, "I went down to 100 feet, clipping the bottom of the clouds, and we managed to keep most of the German fighters off them. The Germans were firing heavy guns which threw up great mountains of spray like water spouts. The Swordfish flew straight into them. Mostly they were caught by the Prinz Eugens flak and I saw the leader and two others go into the drink. They caught fire and went diving in flames towards the water. By this time the FW 190s were swarming everywhere. I saw one go down after 1 had given him a burst. I claimed him, but unfortunately in the sudden "scramble" 1 had forgotten to take the cover off my camera — so I could not prove it. By this time it seemed as though there were a hundred fighters, both RAF and Luftwaffe, in the air."
While the Swordfish crews were dying so heroically and uselessly, Brian Kingcombe's ten Spitfires equally courageously tried to prevent their massacre. Although they were jumped by dozens of German fighters, they gave an extremely good account of themselves. They had numerous dog-fights with Messerschmitts and Focke-Wolfes at odds of three-to-one.
Pilot Officer Ingham, Pilot Officer Bocock and Pilot Officer de Naeyer dived on some FW 190s, whose tracer was hitting one of the Swordfish. Her petrol tank blew up and the Swordfish disappeared before they could stop the attack, but Ingham managed to get one FW 190 in his sights and give it a long burst. It hit the sea trailing black smoke.
Pilot Officer Rutherford was flying at sea level when he saw the Swordfish turn to attack the Prinz Eugen. Skimming the waves, four FW 190s flew beneath the Spitfires followed by eight more in a "gaggle." In the all-out fight which ensued Rutherford made a head-on attack on an FW 190 which was coming straight towards him. He roared to within fifty yards and hit the FW's engine, cowling and wings.
As the German plane lurched towards the water, three other FW 190s swooped on Rutherford, cannons firing. Ducking and weaving to avoid them he climbed into the low clouds. When he came out again he had lost the FWs — and also his own squadron. He came down to sea level to see patches of oil 300 yards away from where the first FW 190 had crashed into the sea. Near the oil he saw two men, clinging to a half-submerged dinghy. They were Brian Rose and Edgar Lee. At minute intervals, he made three "Mayday" signals to summon help for them.