Image: 144 Sqn RAF Beaufighter 9 Feb 1945

Description: A damaged Royal Air Force Bristol Beaufighter TF.X, NE831, PL-O, of No. 144 Squadron RAF, at rest after crash-landing at Dallachy, Morayshire (UK), on returning from the costly attack on the German destroyer Z-33 and its escorting vessels in Førde Fjord, Norway, on 9 February 1945. 31 Beaufighters of the Dallachy Strike Wing were involved in the operation, of which 9 were shot down by German fighters and anti-aircraft defences. Flight Sergeant S. Butler (pilot) and Flight Sergeant Nicholls (navigator) in NE831 were the last to attack the vessels, during which they were hit by flak from Z-33, and then by fire from a Focke-Wulf Fw 190A. After manoeuvring violently, Butler managed to make his escape over the North Sea to eventually make a successful wheels-up landing at RAF Dallachy.
Title: 144 Sqn RAF Beaufighter 9 Feb 1945
Credit: This photograph CH 17875 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums.
Author: Royal Air Force official photographer
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No