1
THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 17, 1940.
Desperate Fight For
Hell-Fire Pass
Eight days after the start! Desperate fighting ac- of the British offensive in companied the struggle the. Western Desert the for possession of Halfiya Italians have been driven (Hell Fire Pass, which from their last stronghold winds through the escarp- in Egypt and their strong-ment overlooking Sollum. ly fortified fort at The Pass was finally taken Capuzzo, some miles in when the British stormed side the Libyan frontier, and captured the Italian has been captured by the camp on the summit. British and Imperial The seizing of Sollum forces.
may prove an important Capuzzo was the scene factor in the continuation of sharp fighting early of the campaign, as ves- this year when it changed sels landing supplies hands several times. able to get close in-shore.
ore
SHOT DOWN SIX CR42'S IN FIFTEEN MINUTES
When Loretta Young and Ray Milland first find them- selves "married," in Colum bia's "The Doctor Takes A Wife," they aren't even on speaking terms!
But times change, and the practice of medicine apparently changes with them, or la Mr. Milland
practicing medicine? It's a
scene from the King's Thea. tre's comedy.
BAD LUCK BRINGER FOR HIRE
"At liberty-first class jinx, ori- ginal fly-in the ointment, hard- luck dispenser par excellence."
This advertisement was inserted
in the "New York Herald-Tri- bune" by Mr. Stefan de Ban-
HOW A BRITISH PILOT, flying an eight- gunned fighter over the Western Desert, brought down six Italian CR 42's in a quarter of an hour, is told in his report, issued in Lon-hire it out for a living the one don yesterday.
drowski, a Polish painter, whose
luck is so bad that he wants to
occupation in which he feels bound to succeed.
goes,"
"Everything I do is not Mr. Bandrowski explained to a reporter in his home in one of
Flying 12,000 feet up somewhere between Bardia and Sollum, he saw six Bredas 65 es- corted by five CR 42's flying two at one level the smallest rooms in New York
and three lower down.
Diving to the attack he fired bursts at the two high Italians and saw their machines turn over and the pilots bale out. Carry- ing on the dive to the lower three he got bursts into the leader and the starboard aircraft, the pilots of which also took to parachutes.
YOUTHS PLEAD NOT GUILTY
The fifth and last of the escort A Portugese youth, Leslie Al- was overtaken later and shared a fred Castro, 18, and Cheung Lo- similar fate.
pan, 18, were remanded for 24 As
Himsworth soon this victim was hours by Mr. E.
as
British disposed of the
this morning pilot Kowloon
when found himself attacked by three charged with loitering in Chatham
Apartments on Saturday.
other CR 42's. Report continued: "I put every- thing forward and touched 400 m.p.h, and got away.
to
My dive brought me down. 3,000 feet over Sollum Bay. There
I saw two more CR's making their way homewards. The leader saw me manoeuvring and they parted.
Nearly Suffocated
Both the leader and 1 stall- turned and we faced each other head on.
I don't think he had much ammunition as I saw only small bursts of Incendiaries pass me. 1 hold my burst to a very short distance and · just managed to clear him. Turning back 1 saw him going down vertically." The pilot's excitement was not yet over for three more CR 42's attacked him and bullets from
their guns pierced the glycol tank an intégal pact of the liquid engine cooling system-and he was all but suffocated by the fumes.
Fortunately the Italiana broke off the phase on being fired at by A.A. guns and the pilot managed to land safely being picked up. by British reconnais- sance troops.
The next day he rejoined his squadron and once more started flying against the enemy.-British Wireless:
BOMB GIVES FREE LUNCH TO HOMELESS
THOUSANDS OF POOR, HOMELE88 AIR-RAID VICTIMS HAD A FREE LUNCH. IN 'AN EAST LONDON: AREA THANKS TO A BOMB WHICH DAMAGED THE ELECTRIC POWER PLANT OF A LARGE MEAT FACTORY.
With the plant out of order, the factory manager, found he had five tons of meat lying spare. '
He sought, and was granted, permission of the Ministry of Food to use it; together with the firm's large stock of vegetables, And so glant cauldrons of: stews were made for the victims of Nazi
at
City.
Everything Mr. Bandrowski en. joys eating gives him indigestion, He should wear glasses, but always dropping and breaking them. If he attempts
is
to wear a watch, he drops it, "and al- ways on the cement, so it breaks good."
"Now if somebody would like not to see Roosevelt win, I will vote for him. He will lose bad," he said. "Maybe a baseball team would hire me. I bet on their opponents and it is a sure lose."
Accused indicated that they Mr. Churchill might consider would be represented by a solici- employing Mr. Bandrowski against tor and pleaded not guilty. | Hitler.