Allied positions there. Deere was involved with the first, uneventful, patrol, and over the coming days flew several more such patrols, often two or three a day, across the English Channel to Dunkirk. On 23 May Deere and another pilot were detailed to escort Flight Lieutenant James Leathart, flying a Miles Magister, a two-seat trainer, over to Calais to rescue No. 74 Squadron's commanding officer, Squadron Leader Laurie White, who had made a forced landing at an airfield there. During this mission, and in sight of Leathart, Deere claimed his first combat victories, shooting down two of several Messerschmitt Bf 109s fighters that had approached while the Magister was still on the airfield. He damaged a third Bf 109 but ran out of ammunition and had to return to England. The mission was a success, for Leathart was able to collect White and fly back to Hornchurch. The action gave Deere an insight into the qualities of the Bf 109, which he considered "in the hands of a good pilot was a tough nut to crack. Initially, it was faster in the dive, but slower in the climb; the Spitfire could out-turn but it was at a disadvantage in manoeuvres that entailed negative G forces [sic]. Overall, there was little to choose between the two fighters." The following day, while the squadron was flying near Saint-Omer in the Calais region, a formation of Heinkel He 111s bombers accompanied by Bf 109s and Messerschmitt Me 110 heavy fighters was spotted. An attempt to attack the bombers was interrupted by the Bf 109s and during the resulting melee, Deere shot down one of the fighters. On 26 May, with the squadron at over Gravelines covering a convoy of ammunition ships, he shot down two Me 110s. These had disrupted his attempt to intercept some German bombers that were attacking a British destroyer off Calais. His aircraft was badly damaged during this action, part of a wing being shot away. Operation Dynamo, the British effort to evacuate the BEF from Dunkirk, commenced on 26 May. The RAF now began to tightly cover Dunkirk and the English Channel, protecting the ships of the evacuation fleet as much as possible. Accordingly, No. 54 Squadron would fly several times a day to Dunkirk during the evacuation. On an afternoon patrol on 27 May, Deere destroyed a Junkers Ju 88 dive bomber attacking a hospital ship, and