1940-10-18 — Page 62

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THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, OCTOBER 18, 1940.

Adventures Of

From the brief and businesslike reports of R.A.F. pilots come in- comparable stories of heroic com-

bat.

From their diaries comes ma- terial for many true romances of action. Here are a new series of these truc tales of adventure.

An American in the

R.A.F.

The

"When we go back to the mess; suddenly found ourselves in the we were handed a parcel. It con- middle of between 50 and 60! tained a bottle of champagne-Messerschmidt 109's and 110's. with the compliments of the Sta- tion Commander) You see, it was our first fight-and we'd won! In those days, one German aircraft was something to celebrate."

The Real War Starts

"We went over to France' on May 10, when Hitler Invaded the Low Countries. We went up that The following report was writ-same afternoon. That time we ten by a pilot whose story is uni- que in the service. He is a flight- lieutenant, born in the United States, who has already shot down eight enemy aircraft and crippled three or four more. He table short service commission in the Royal Air Force in 1936 and was posted to a fighter squadron. He writes:-

"I got my first German last November. It was the first enemy aircraft to be shot down in the Straits of Dover in this war. I was on patrol between Deal and Calais, leading a section of three Hurricanes from my squadron, when we spotted, at 12,000ft, Dornier 17 Flying Pencil.

a

"He was about 2.000ft, below us

and as we hadn't seen a German machine up to then, we went down carefully to make sure. We soon recognised him as an enemy, and as I turned to attack, he tried

to attack me.

"My Hurricane very quickly outmanoeuvred him. I got on his tall and gave him three sharp bursts of fire. Another member of the section got in three bursts also, as he dived towards the clouds.

"The last I saw of him was just above sea-level. He had turned on his back and a moment later crashed into the sea.

Passed By The Censor

didn't see anything, but the next day, we really started.

"I was leading the flight that day, and when I realised how hopelessly outnumbered we were, I gave orders to the boys to sort out their own targets and not to keep formation,

"A Good Day'

"We broke up and began to set, about the Messerschmidts. I got a Messerschmidt 110, and other members of the flight got four: more. On the way back to our base, I saw two Henschel 120's, one of which I shot down, I dam- aged the other with the rest of my ammunition.

"It was a good day. We rout- ed an

overwhelming number of enemy fighters, beat up two of their army reconnaissance air- craft, and we all got home safely! Our bag on that day was six. There were six of us, so we aver- aged one each.

"There were several other days when we ran into heavy odds of enemy fighters. It is really amaz→ ing, looking back, that we should have had the success we had. But It certainly was a success each day.

"We never ran into the Germans

Air-Fighters

Chan Chun-wan (centre) who won the Chinese cross har- bour race at North Point. On the winner's left lo Yan Bai- kwan; the runner-up and on his right Is Fung Chiu-cheong, who came third.

"We carried out three patrols cast of Brussels, and on the third patrol we says three Heinkel III's.

aged the other two. We shot down one and badly dam- The day after that, we got two

Heinkel III's, one of which was credited without shooting some down. attacked by a stray Messerschinidi With a full moon silvering the to me. I shot mine down from

110, from a range of only 50 yards. tips of their wings, they disap- "When we were patrolling The attack was at once returned peared towards the coast, towards 12,000ft.

Dunkirk, for instance, giving pro- and, once more, the air gunner the channel, over the country of tection day after day to the BEF, saw his opponent burst into dames the enemy to the Ruhr, we always got a few. I remem- and dive headlong to the ground.

Messerschmidt 109's and 110's, we pilot had scored a number of hits ber once, when we found ourselves in the thick of 6 squadrons of "During the duel, the German saw an unusual type of enemy which set the port petrol fighter. They were the new Hein- on fire. It was obvious that the kel 113's. Naturally we couldn't bomber would soon be ablaze; sn resist the opportunity. We got one I gave the order to abandon air of each type of enemy fighter, and craft. The observer jumped and three or four probables.'

made a safe landing. I then stood on the wing and was just about to jump when I saw that the rear gunner was still inside the ma- chine.

"All the same, those early skir mishes were child's play to what was to come later. after we had escorted a number of On May 14,

Blenheim bombers into enemy territory, we were our way back when we saw three Dornier 17 Flying Pencils.

on

"It was a trap, for when to the Dorniers, gave chase

"IT'S SUCH A RELIEF

TO PHONE MY ORDERS

THESE HOT DAYS!”

For

GROCERIES, BUTCHERIES,

"FRUITS," "GREENS AND

SUNDRIES.

THE ASIA COY.

YOUR FOOD HEADQUARTERS

Oi Kwan Buliding.

Des Voeux Rd., Central

STOUT

"Where are you going with that #x27"

I'm going to do a little deforesta- tion, Bertic. There'~ a tree outside I've taken a dislike to. I shall fell it with one fell swoop."

"Rather early in the morning for. tree felling, isn't it ? ”

Tels: 20416

22338

**The early woodcutter gets the first trees you linowo: Besides it's an ugly free. There is something •* offensive about that tree. Come to think of it, it rather reminds me of ~you, Bertie"

“Well — I must confess I didn't expect to see you chopping trees this morning and smoking a

FELLER

whacking, big black cheroot. Not after last nighť............

we

we

"I don't like the way you say not after last night!' I detect a certain envy in the tone --a certain under- current of bitterness. You ought to be overjoyed to see me absolutely bristling with joi-de-viure.” "I merely marvel at your powers of recovery."

"You needn't, Bertie. It's all due to: Ross's Lime Juice, you know, Prevents mornings after the night before. Just the thing before you go to bed. And note, Bertie, with your permission' I'll step out and deal our unsuspecting arboreal friend a ‚couple of shrewd, cracks with my little axe

"I was attacking a Messerschmidt 110 when I suddenly realised that there were six Heinkel 113's on my tall. I made a very quick turn to get away from them and then shot down the Heinkel 113 on the extreme left of that parti- cular formation.

tank

stood there, that they were drop- The night passed. I knew, as I "It was a cold and lonely wait.

dumps and the railway junctions ping their bombs on the petrol

in the wind. The immense build- of the Ruhr. The trees rustled

thes of the air force station secm2 ed to grow bigger still, in the darkness. I heard challenge and the clanging of vast metal door.

asentry's

а

came

"As morning was born over the "I realised, that he was wound- horizon, the first bombers ed and saw that his parachute back. They seemed to soar down harness had become entangled to the landing ground. Three of with his gun. I got back into them." his cockpit, regained control of "That was in the afternoon! the aircraft and brought it safely We had had an 'appetiser' before to earth in flames. I then help lunch when we met 20 Heinkel ed the gunner out of the machine, 111 Bombers. I got one. He and within a few minutes of our went down in flames. And others getting clear the aircraft Blew of the squadron got their share. up."

The Smoke of Dunkirk—New Zealanders Over

The Ruhr

The smoke from innumerable fires in Dunkirk and other French coast towns was terrific about The following account of a visit that time. A fellow pilot describ. to a Bomber Squadron was writ- ed it as being like a gigantic piece ten by an officer of the R.A.F.V.R.. of dirty cotton wool lying right from New Zealand. across the sea shore, following the

was a

'It

"The pilot from Otago came along. He had done his job. was a piece of cake, he said.

He passed in to drink a cup of coffer. There was no fuss; no intensity.

"The lights of three more ap- peared! They landed.Anafr gunner from Napier jumped out of one of them. It was his first He

flight over enemy territory. said, quite calmly, I expected to see more than, I did.'

"Three more, and then "three And then seven, leaving the more.

coast down the Channel as far as "The grass, the oaks and he could see, even from two or garden before the Officers' Mess only one to come. A pilot came three miles up. There were times were essentially English. The Sta- over to me and offered me a ci- when we found that same smoke tion Commander

mighty garette. He said, 'It was a wi- You could of great assistance in outwitting man with a voice which launch zard. Not a cloud!

the sort of enemy fighters.

ed a battleship with every breath. count the trees He also was English, He stamped night love was born! Somebody "One of our squadron, for in- out a cigarette, leaned back in his near by said 'Oh Yeah'. He also stance, used up all his ammuni- chair and said, 'If you'll walk in passed on for his coffee. tion in shooting down two Mes- under that arch, you'll find the serschmidt 110's one day and New Zealand, squadron. They're found himself being chased by a fine lot of chaps. Damned good

navigators. Good afternoon!'

two more,

Căriter-

"Without ammunition he could "So I walked over the hot asp do nothing, so he dived into the hall path and I found the Wing smoke over Dunkirk. He emerg- Commander, rotund, definite, but ed above the smoke a few miles kind, born in Southern away and there the Messersch- bury. From that moment, we midts were still waiting for him, forgot England and talked of New

Zealand. A pilot joined us· ·

Then "They simply stuck above the from Olago. smoke waiting for him to emerge, Stratford, who made a night last- a victim for their guns.

But he ing. no less than foultéen and a

one from

the sky, begging the night to yield

"And then, just as we searched

up the last of the vallant com- pany, the lights of the list bomb- er appeared.

"And while the petrol dumps and the marshalling yards of the light, the Wing Commander from Ruhr smouldered in the morning

Southern Canterbury was able to write in his long book. All our aircraft returned safely'."

outwitted them by diving back helf hours over Norway, a few WHEN CHILDREN into the smoke and was able to weeks ago. slip away home, only to be off again into battle the same even- .ing.

"For one night I was to stay with the bomber squadron: which was originally formed to fly," ont- "We were stationed in France to New Zealand. But when war eleuch days. I remember that was declared, these Now Zealand. when we went away the fores ers, stayed in, Britain. were in bud; and when we came back they were in full bloom. In between, we'd had eleven glorious days of action.”

An Exciting Episode Here is the story of an exciting episode in the work of an R.A.F. bombing 'plane, told by the pilot;

:

OUTGROW THEIR

STRENGTH

With rapidly growing children, nourishment must. keep pace with growth. When it doesn't the child gets thin, pale, weedy, with no energy or inclination for food.

"They have already made his- tory, over the North Sea and over enemy territory. Nó less than 114 Bortles over Norway, Denmark, and nurses say, there is nothing For extra nourishment, doctors. Germany, Holland, Belgium and better than Horlicks! It builds up France; nine amasing months dur flesh; bone and muscle by provid ing which they have given bitter ing all the essential food clements punishment to the enemy with the it an easily digestible form, loss of only one machine,

"For my visit I had chosen the expend on

replaces at the energy children work and play.

It

"I was leading a bombing raid night of a raid over the Ruhr. As Through its delicious flavour Hor- on strong enemy columns. After darkness came eighteen bombers licks stimulates the appetite sh the task had been completed, my were silhouettet against the that children get more good out aircraft was attacked by seven moonlit sky. Dark and belliger of all tilefr food. Messerschmidt 100's. In the course Sht they waited. Then the pilot

of the pursuit the rear gunhen of from Stratford, the cheerful one Many boys and girls at the dif- our bomber shot down one Ms from Oligo and one who had sighTM cult' nge- owe their success in serschmidt in flames and disubled Sil with the memory of summer schoolwork and at games to the another.

Holidays on New Zealand beaches extra strength and vitality sup- digiteen of them jumped plied by Horfekter Get Horlicks "After that I found cover in a into lorries and, from my corner to-day of your usual store. cloud. On enferging from it, beside the hangar, I saw file. however, our bomber was agulh bombers ribe in groups of three,.