1940-12-23 — Page 25

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THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 23, 1940.

TWO R.A.F. MEN CRASH 'PLANES TO WIN GERMAN

THERE IS MATCHLESS R.A.F. HEROISM OF

SECRETS

WHICH THE BRITISH PEOPLE HAVE NOT YET OUT

BEEN TOLD. IN THE AIR BATTLES OVER BRI- TAIN YOUNG MEN, THEIR AMMUNITION GONE, HAVE FLUNG AWAY THEIR LIVES TO SMASH THE ENEMY.

Now the deeds of two of these unnamed heroes have been chronicled. The first story came in a let- ter from John Tapping, of Victoria Road, Deal, Kent, Here is the letter:

of

"In this grim and glorious hour when ordinary men only ask to live to fight under the inspiration of our superlative defenders the air we breathe, one wonders why the epic victory and match- less self-sacrifice witnessed here has not yet been chronicled.

"The feat of a Royal Air force pilot-officer whose body now lies in a countryside oast house should take its place in history with that of Bay Corn- weli..

W

"In possibly the fiercest air bat- tle our Spitfire hero, after what appeared to be a death struggle was forced down.

"Within an ace of crashing, the 'plane straightened out, and to the amazement of hundreds of wal- chers climbed back, alnost ver- tically into the arena ugain.

"Glorious Doom"

"The Spitfire was swiftly en- gaged in the second and, alas, Anal round. After a terrific ma- chine-gun versus cannon battle the Spitfire, now entirely spent of ammunition, charged straight at the now climbing Messrschmidt.

"Que

pilot smashed right through the Hun's wing, which fell as though it were a piece of cucumber. As the enemy turned ever the invader W 35 able to bale out.

"Our fighter after his 400-mile- an-hour charge through the Mes- serschmidt earthwards, crushed-- straight to his glorious doom.

"Glorious-because there never was any finer victory or greater sacrifice.

"The relatives of our gallant hero should receive the decora tion which such valour and self- sacrifice so richly deserved."

Fell Interlocked

The second hero was a twenty- six-year-old sergeant-pilot. He was practising night flying in an Anson traming machine when ધ્ર Heinkel bomber dived out of the moonlit sky and fired bursts at him.

The Anson machine was com- pletely unarmed.

People on the ground saw the sergeant-pilot crash his machine into the Heinkel.

The 'planes fell to the ground Interlocked. In the wreckage of the Heinkel were five dead Germans. In the wreckage of the Anson was the body of the sergeant pilot.

He had just goined his wings. The flight which was his last was to have completed his final course of training.

ULSTER TRIBUTE TO R.A.F.

THE SPEAKER OF THE NORTHERN IRELAND PARLIA- MENT, MR. H. G. H. MULHOL- LAND, HAS SENT A MESSAGE TO BIR ARCHIBALD SINCLAIR, SECRETARY..OF STATE FOR

AIR.

"At the unanimous request of the members of the House of Commene, Northern Ireland," "it ran,

"I beg to send you this ex- pression of the intense admiration We all feel for the wonderful ùnd. magnificent initiative and gallan- try of the RAFL

Sir Archibald Sinclair-replied. “The tribute of the House of Com.... mons, Northern Ireland, to the gal- fantry and initiative of the R.A.F. is an encouragement to us all in these stirring and strenuous. days. It will be gratefully..received, by all ranks of the RAF, to whom "I am sending it at once.!!!

GERMANS IN ITALIAN ARMY

A good deal more than meets the eye underlies a laconie official statement issued by the German official news agency revealing that Germans are now enlisting in the Italian armed forces, Normally the Italian army will not accept foreigners.

The R.A.F. are in possession of all the secrets of the Luftwafle's machines. Since the blitzkrieg on London started, the Germans have lost so many 'plànės, many of which have fallen into R.A.F. hands in fairly good condition, that British technical experts now know all there is to know about German aircraft.

Generally speaking, the materi- als used in German aircraft are good, but the performance is not so good as ours.

German 'planes which have been brought down carried some Instruments not in use on Bri- tish machines. The fuel of the Germanc, both petrol and oil, had been up to standard, but in Bore machines they had found gadgets which enabled substi- tute fuel to be used.

One draws the ennclusion, there- fore, that the Germans and Italians For instance, in some 'planes have now agreed upon a form of there was a special tank of high "stiffening" of the Italian Army standard fuel, which enabled the satisfactory to both Itallun pre-plane to be started up, and after- stige and German doubts about wards the pilot switched on to a Italian fighting value.

lower-grade fuel.

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