navigation but night sorties would not be fruitful since the location of enemy aircraft would be exceptionally difficult. For Braham, hunting in daylight was a strange experience. On 5 March 1944 he flew with Bill Gregory on a 900-mile trip around northern France. The weather impeded his attempts to shoot up airfields at Orléans and Bourges, so he proceeded to the aerodrome at Châteaudun. He spotted a Heinkel He 177 flying in the landing circuit at 800 feet. He closed rapidly and dispatched it for his 20th air victory. Braham was denied the chance to operate as a night fighter pilot at this time when there was intense activity. In January 1944 the Luftwaffe initiated Operation Steinbock, a series of strikes against British cities in response to the British offensive over Germany. The German air arm met with severe losses during the operation. On 12 March Braham and Gregory were returning from a 1000-mile trip and were hit by ground fire over Bayeux. They nursed the Mosquito back to England on one engine—the other having burned out. Just two days later he attended Buckingham Palace where he was awarded a second bar to his DFC from George VI. Both Braham's wife Joan and his father attended. Ten days later he received permission for another daylight sortie. Squadron Leader Robertson joined him on this occasion as his flight engineer. He flew to Lasham to pick up a Mosquito. His target on this occasion would be Denmark. The Luftwaffe kept a number of operational units in the region so he flew to Coltishall in Norfolk to be nearer his destination and conserve fuel during the sortie. Near Aalborg he sighted two aircraft. So far away from the battle zones, the Germans did not expect to be attacked by the enemy. Neither made much attempt to defend themselves. The first, a Junkers W 34 transport, was shot down and the second, a Junkers Ju 52, tried a crash-landing only to nose-over and crumple the wings. Braham strafed it to ensure destruction. His gun cameras filmed the action during which he fired 320 rounds. On 4 April he returned to France. Lacking radar, Braham sought out large airfields to be sure of intercepting an enemy aircraft. He flew to Bordeaux looking for He 177s that intelligence suggested were operating against Atlantic convoys from Bordeaux–Mérignac. Braham only encountered a Bücker Bü 131 which fell victim