Harris considered these defences ‘comparatively light’. As the flares were laid, signalling imminent attack, the guns and searchlights sprang to life and opened up on the Pathfinders. Predicted flak burst so close to Munro's aircraft that the crew heard the shell fragments patter on the alloy skin.
Harris considered the defenses inadequate. When the flares signaled an impending attack, the guns and searchlights immediately fired upon the Pathfinders. The predicted flak barrage came in close enough for the crew to hear the shell fragments hitting their aircraft's metal casing.