As the German fighters caught up they engaged the bombers in a running fight. The Germans had never encountered the four engine bombers, and soon were taking defensive fire from the four .303 machine guns of the tail turret and the paired .303s of the mid-upper turret. Closing the gap, they attacked the trailing vic first. Warrant Officer Crum's Lancaster on the left took machine gun and cannon fire. Bullets shattered the cockpit's canopy, showering Crum and his navigator, Rhodesian Alan Dedman, with shards of Perspex. Dedman could see blood streaming down Crum's face, but when he reached over to help Crum just grinned and waved him away.
