1941-03-19 — Page 9

THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 19, 1941.

NEW PREDICTOR ENVOY'S

FOR A.A. IS 'ABSOLUTE KILLER'

(By A Special Correspondent)

THE COMMANDER of a corps area of A.A.

DISGUISE

AS PEASANT

Escape From Nazis

Sir William Max-Muller, a former British Minister to Poland, has described how M. Lipski, Polish Am- bassador to Germany when the war broke out,

mans after the fall of France in the guise of a French peasant.

defence has given some particulars of the organisa-escaped from the Ger- tion of A.A. batteries and searchlights, and told of his hopes for the future.

More raiders are shot down than are claimed, I was informed, and we are on the way to doing much better. There is no reason why, as things are developing, 10 per cent. of raiding aircraft should not be scotched.

At present, according to the evidence, the ma-1 jority of the casualties. among night raiders oc-

cur

in crashes on

landing-grounds.

the

Semlights and AA guns krep

black

the Gezina up to a greater height tha the R A.FA general altatrice on Germany. Bombers RUT now punted with a matt paint, which reflects a minumum of light, but searchlights, deter and deflect machines even when the searchlight crew does not realise that the beant has caught them

The light renders the bombers į Visible though on the ground nothing ea be geen of what is happening

the chasing fighter

The public, sand the commander, used the word "barrage" rather Tom Inoriy. A time barrage was

very rarely brought into play.

It wa wildly extravagant, and| by its very nature meant a waste

of ammunition. Occasions arose for the use of a bariage, but tar less often than the public 51p- pused.

Nazis Lack Variety

He expressed the opinen that German randing tactics were lack ing in Vanety. When a prelimin- ary wave of machines loaded with fire-bombs

these l was employed were manned by exceptionally ex-! perienced crews the pick of the German bombing force. The lat er waves, which came with high explosive bombs, represented far less able and less daring men

Fire-lighting, the commander urged, was of paramount impor- tance in defence. If, for instance. an accumulation of timber were caught by fire-bomb raiders the efforts of many batteries were nul- litled.

To appreciate the measure of Buccess already reached by the ground defences it was neces- sary to know how often raiders had been deflected from vita! military objectives.

The commander paid a great tri- bute to the spirit and endurance of the searchlight and gun teams ---men living, as he put it, "in ponny puckets," more often than

CANNON

ATTACK ON

AIR BASES

R.A.F. May Try New Method

Experimental

opera-

tions, consisting of a low- flying attack with cannon fire, may be undertaken

formation on a special form of ground attack.

Speaking at the weekly Over- Sras League luncheon, Sir Wil- liam said that M. Lipski tramped over 300 miles through German fines in occupied Franes and then on through unoccupied France to Marseilles. From there he passed through Spain and Portugal to Lisbon, and eventualy arrived in England, where be medi the Polish army as a pirate

Another anvedot - reiäid by Sir William was ot The wife f in Polish General who was in Wa saw when the Germans arrived and travelled through Germany for 10 days with an-Ainerican- Russian, posing as his wife. They were held up at Ars. and the General's wife was interrogated. for three-quarters of an hour by at German official before they were allowed to proceed

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This type of raid is different from that reported as having been carried out in daylight by Polish pilots in fighters equipped with machine-guns. The Theory hind it is based on the belief that, with modern methods of aircraft not dispersal, an aerodrome is Leadily damaged by bombing.

that the ma- It is thought chine-gun does not hit hard en-

out of

put aircraft ough to action with any certainty.

More Cannon Fighters

new

British

with

Nearly all the fighters can be equipped cannon. Equipment for both Spit- fires and Hurricanes carrying can- non has been in production for some time, and the number of can- non fighters in service is daily in- creasing,

Is

These machines might, it thought, be able to do severe damage to enemy air basts by low-flying attacks. The cannon chell used by the British ma- chines is capable of wrecking an aircraft with a single hit.

It is believed that British figh-

not in dreary, out-of-the-way ter defences, which have always

places, and spending whole tights been good, as the operations glued to their job.

of

August and September demon-

THOUGHT

Predictors are playing # very strated, are now stronger. important part in air defence, and one which we ore how using is described as an aben ute killer.' Our two chief weapons for most- in high-flying aircraft are the 37:0 Kun, which fires a 281b. round, and thự 45m. gun, which firms a 55lb. round They both have a “ceiling" which is higher than the bomber can at presen' Leach.

Coventry Denial

"Rumours that we ran out

ammunition for the A.A. guns at

NAZI WAS R.A.F. MAN

ħ

Supper Leonard Evington, that he had been awarded the me Hull dock worker, has been told Coventry you can deny categori dal of the Order of the cally," i was told. "Guns were thring there for 11 hours consecu- Empire for rescuing a Nazi pilot after swimming nearly half a mile tively, and one gun site fred an in Folkestone harbour,

average of 10 rounds a minute throughout that period."

His main concern

was

•

British

that

He

I

The A.A. command works in the everyone should understand that closest cooperation with the he thought he was going to the as- R.A.F. Fighter Command, and thesistance of a British airman. system of dual control is held to said that he heard someone shout, have justified itself. Such faults "There is a Spitfire down in the as have occurred are to be put harbour," and he stripped without down to rapidity of expansion questioning the statement, rather than to the system.

"I was really disappointed when When a loaded raider is hit I got there and found he was

"The German there is little left to be salvagod.] Nazi," he added. One heavy-bomber blew up into was a big man, about 15 or 18 such small fragments that the stone. He was a bit weak and largest objects retrieved were tried to make a grab at me as 'I an identity, disc and a cigarette- was coming up to him. caso.

The commander wound up by ⚫ saying that some of the best "scientific minds in the country were concentrating on the defeat of "the unseen target.” ́

swam

on

a

"I was

a bit wary and round him at first. When a boat came up I helped to get him board.""'

Evington is 31 and the father of three children.

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