north of London. On the night of 24 August 1940 Braham took off and patrolled the Humberside area. The Blenheim was piloted by Braham, and contained air gunner Sergeant Wilsdon and aircraftman and trained radar operator N. Jacobson. Braham was directed to an aircraft held in searchlights but he closed too fast and overshot. His gunner succeeded in damaging the aircraft sufficiently and a searchlight crew saw it crash into the sea. It was identified as a Heinkel He 111. Braham's only other interaction with the enemy occurred at Ternhill, when a Junkers Ju 88 dropped bombs on the airfield destroying 13 Avro Ansons and damaged 20 more. Braham survived the attack uninjured. In September 1940 29 Squadron began to convert to the Bristol Beaufighter, a rugged and heavily armed twin-engine aircraft equipped with airborne interception radar in the shape of AI Mk. IV radar sets, just as the Luftwaffe began its campaign against British industrial cities—known as "The Blitz". By 29 November Squadron had become an all-Beaufighter unit. Braham was among the first to fly the Beaufighter and did so in September. He would, however, spend nearly the entire month hospitalised after a serious car accident. He flew his first wartime operation in a Beaufighter on 17 November 1940. Squadron Leader Guy Gibson, later famous for his role in Operation Chastise, led the mission. Braham flew nine operations in this month and enhanced his skills by completing a blind-flying course which taught pilots to fly in low-visibility conditions. For his service he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 17 January 1941. The combination of these developments eventually culminated in success. On 13 March 1941 Braham achieved a surprise attack on a Dornier Do 17, knocking out one of its engines before the cannons jammed. His radar operator, Sergeant Ross, eventually unjammed three of the guns. Braham's second burst blew the bomber up at a range of 60 yards and the Beaufighter narrowly avoided colliding with the debris. The engagement lasted 13 minutes. The two aircrew achieved another success on the 9 May. Approaching from slightly below their target, Braham followed his radar operator's instructions until a visual sighting had been made. Identifying an aircraft through a patch of eclipsed stars he could then position himself to attack. Attacking two He 111s he downed one with two close-range and short bursts of cannon fire. The victory was confirmed.