Here's some diary entries from an observer/gunner on a WWI bomber. In the first entry he is flying in a British made Handley Page bomber. In the second entry he is flying in an Italian made Caproni bomber.
Aug. 10, 1918 – “During the morning I took some pictures of the drome and around camp and in afternoon took a walk out to the wireless station. I was on orders to go over the lines tonight in 4581 [a Handley Page - he was flying as an understudy with the British at this point] with Lieut. Nichols pilot and Lieut. Bowen observer and raid the patrol boat shelters at Blankenberg. The front was very quiet tonight but the A.A. barrage at Ostend, Bruges and Zeebrugge was very intense and nearly twice as many search lights were operating in anticipation of our big 1660 pound bomb raid. The visibility was not very good and we had to glide in from the sea at 10,000 ft. to 4,000 ft. The lights did not get us and the shells burst over us and we saw no enemy scouts.
I dropped two large rocks for I was in the rear cockpit and I had no bombs. Must give em something.”
Diary Aug 10-13 smaller.jpg
In a later entry he writes:
Aug. 22 & 23, 1918 – “This morning we were very sorry to learn that Lieut. Fletcher had been killed when shot down off Ostend while acting as observer in the H.P. machine which Lieut. Hetherington piloting and Kennedy U.S. was gunner. During the day I was busy chasing around the drome getting my end of the Caproni ready for tonight and I had a hard job getting two English deflector bags. We stood by till eleven o’clock for the weather to clear and then pushed off on what was to be the last trip for B5 machine and Ensign Fahy and I for a time. Cheer-eo we made a good get away. We continued on our way to Zeebrugge and during the first half hour of this morning engine was so bad when we reached the lines that we made for Mardyck beach to land. Ensign Fahy told me to remain in the [gunner’s] cage, fortunately. We failed to straighten out in time and crashed on the beach. The noise of the crumbling machine is all I remember until I found myself staggering around on the beach and I caught a glimpse of the ruined machine out of my right eye, the left was completely closed up and the darkness and silence around the machine gave me fear that Taber and Fahy were badly injured until I heard Taber call to me and learned that Fahy was not seriously injured and Taber was o.k. We were carried to Queen Alexandera Hospital and as soon as I saw Sister Evans well cheer-eo.”
Caproni bomber:
Caproni.jpg