Thirteen

"Flight conditions were ideal. I recall feeling very alert at the controls. Everything was working perfectly. The sea between Britain and the mainland caught the last of the glow of the setting sun. I was wide awake, anticipating the target, the quirks of the aircraft, the wiles of the Enemy, and the serpentine race to base once the raid was over."Lancaster Bomber pilot Bud Walter uttered these words, setting the stage for his aircrew's thirteenth mission. All seven men in this aircraft were Canadians serving with 405 (Vancouver) Squadron in August of 1944. Would these men return safely to their airbase at Gransden Lodge, Bedfordshire, England after the night-time raid, or would the "unlucky" thirteenth sortie over Germany end in tragedy?