1941-07-26 — Page 13

THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 26, 1941.

Bomber Over Germany

(Continuod from Page 7)

Bremen.

For a

of

}HONGKONG & SHANGHAI

BANKING CORPORATION.

Authorised Capital

[ Issuéd 'and Fully Raid-up

Sterling

.$50,000,000 ..$20,000,000

Hong Kong Currency Re-

Borvo

.£ 6,500,000

.$10,000,000

prietors

HEAD OFFICE: HONG KONG,

$20,000,000,

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Hon. Mr. J. J. Paterson, Chairman.

W. H. Lock, Esq.. Deputy Chairman,

LJ. Davis, Eeg..

O. Miakin, Esq.,

E. 8. Morrison, Eng Hon. Mr. T. E. Postos,

few critical minutes of running in smoke cut off first one corner, carefully-centring on the very Reserve Funds: over the target that the gunners then another: higher up, thicker source of that light beam that clear weather prophesied for the down below get their chance. smoke clouds reflected the ter- still traversed toward "other side" had materialised.

us. The 1: That night, it seemed, they rible red glow. Punctuating it all guns bucked and kicked and spat. peered around and below me. were ready for us. For a moment or two I could see was a little dry: the 'plane

My mouth were the flashes of the anti-air- I followed my tracer. Too high; Reserve Liability of Pro

was craft guns and occasionally the too low. The rim of that light little. Then as my

eyes began running to readjust themselves I began to wondered,

so steadily. When, I large bursts of bombs.

was toppling down toward us. would Tim put her Truly the scene was infernal: In another moment it would be pick out features on the ground nose down and shut off those be- our jubilant comments became on below. A small river, a darker traying

us again. A blinding flash. motors? It was

subdued. From time to time we Then, black pitch beyond. high patch of forest, even a thin rib- time. Suddenly I lurched

could see the side-

sparkle of a new "Got it," I yelled. bon of road. We cruised around ways as the 'plane bucked like a

shower

incendiaries: fresh "Good work, old man." Tim's for a while trying to get a de- shot rabbit. That shell had burst fires flared. Older fires merged voice recalled me to myself. I finite pin-point. Ät last

wr just beneath us perhaps 150 feet, into one another. Sometimes & was conscious of a filthy draft found it; we knew where

we and had rocketed us some twen- roof would collapse and a burst and a filthy smell. The latter J. R. Bousfeld, Esq., were. Barely three miles from our ty-five feet into the air.

of sparks and flames, vivid eyen came from my gloves which were & Compton, Esq., target, the city and seaport of moment I thought we were spin- in that chaos of fire, would shoot scorching under the heat of the Hon. Mr. B. H. Dodwell, Hon. Mr. A. L. Shialak, ning: the machine swayed vio- upward. Sometimes some vast gun barrels: the former from

Sir Vandeleur M. Grayburp I looked at the altimeter: 13,00′ endly and I heard the airscrews combustible store would erupt in three ragged holes in the wind-

Chief Manager, feet. The temperature was down singing in a way that airscrews an awesome explosion. I was shield an inch or two above my to 10 centigrade (14 degrees Fah- only sing when a plane is hur- glad I could remember St. Paul's right shoulder. renheit), but I didn't feel the tling downward. Tim afterward churchyard and blasted Coven- Two hours later they lifted me Amoj cold for the moment. My hot-air told me that the control-stick had try...

out of the 'plane and put me to Bangkok pipe, a sinuous length of rubber. nearly been wrenched from his In our interest we had scarce-

bed in Bick quarters. My leg: Bombay more like an elephant's trunk than hands. Still, he recovered it ly noticed how Tim had gradually wasn't badly hit but I had lost à Calcutta anything outside a zoo, but for somehow, for the machine. after edged nearer and nearer and got lot of blood. The medical officer Colo more useful in an aeroplane, was swaying wildly for some seconds, lower and lower.

at me cheerfully for Colombo and w grumbled tucked securely inside my jacket settled down again on her steady were recalled to

of bed, but he Dalran and blew its comforting

our senses by getting him out warmth course. The next shell, I felt, the violent rocking of the machine

dressed

with speed Haiphong my scratch all around me. My fingers And would hit us clean.

as well-directed shells

I dropped off to sleep Intow burst and skill. toes were well protected and my "Now for it." I heard Tim yell. perilously near our tail. I was while still congratulating myself Farbin nose was snugly buried inside my

George,

the

Intelli- Hollo and nearly blinded

by their flashes, on having escaped mask.

Tim turned for home. Slowly gence Officer. upon us.

Joseph Macleod reading the preoccupation which had still- ed our spirits left us. We felt al. it. Our bombers last night car

I began to sing: others ried out a very successful raid on joined in. We sang Gilbert and Bremen." Sullivan, such scraps of opera as The placid voice woke me. we knew, "Over The Rainbow." Well, so we did.

Our

navigator In any event, action was bomb-aimer, came back "Dead on

Hold this course." "I'm gliding in," Tim replied,

✡

There is something vaguely un- dignißled in travelling backward, something of the sheep led to the slaughter. I knew what was go- ing on up in the front, but I was not even a passive spectator events which could so radically affect my history. Pilot and navi.

of

sign

line.

♫

Q

of the

most gay.

Wisns of

He

cloud hurtled by.

the

ciled grunted negatives. Actually felt my

ten seconds. No one spoke. I pressing. Our singing ceased.

THE WING on Bank, LIMITED.

Head Office: Hong Kong. 26, Dos Voeux Road, Central.

$10,000,000 Authorised Capital ...

every

The plane tipped gently under The line of the ground had dis- me and I was staring into sky.

appeared from my view. It is im- possible to sense speed in such a position, but I knew we were div. Soon we could see banks of is ing earthward probably at some- the west. The cold was very gator were both peering down, thing over 300 m.p.h. A moment severe. seeking ahead for the first

We shot into the cloud of our target.

later, the noise

motors long before we reached the Dutch As yet neither had

After quieted. seen anything. My inquiries over

We were gliding dowr, coast.

bright moon- light, the gray mist was de. the intercom (telephone) had eli dropping hundreds of feet every

The Ice began to form. Very soon the ears paining me. I was the first to realise that we

controls were stiff and awkward, Increase were nearly there. As I gazed

in atmospheric

heavy noticeable, the 'plane

with idly through my windshield, wat pressure was already

frozen ching the moonlit landscape slide held my nose tight and blew it droplets of mist.

Current Accounts and Savings hard. My eardrums swelled out- Rapidly we slid earthward: Accounts opened. Fixed Deposils ward and the pain ceased. I the drumming pain in our ears received at rates which will be

at my glanced

altimeter. We began again. We blew our noses, quoted on application. later a huge star seemed to burst were down to nearly 6,000 feet, slapped our icy fingers. rub- Safe Deposit Boxes for hire.

Tim would be pulling out in a bed our thighs, twiddled toes.

PHILIP GOCKCHIN, moment. Barely had the thought Above all, we watched the altimet-

Chief Manager was barely 400 yards behind us. slight straining as

entered my mind when I felt the er. At under 2,500 feet we broke and very accurate for height

the machine through and Tim straightened out. began to flatten out. Almost at Blackness below us. Where were I once the motors sprang into roar- we?

ing life.

Four or

gently below me, I saw a sudden flash of orange flame

on the ground.

five seconds

asunder under the line of our tail. Good shooting for first shot;

I

"Natives appear unfriendly," yelled through the intercom.

"Much of it yet?" came back | Tim's voice.

an air-

sudden

screen as I

f

A ghostly radlance, bright yet

Alled "Watch for 'ein," yelled George, menacing,

my cabin. I needed They're away."

no telling what it was. "Only one so far, about 400

One or more searchlights held us Scores of incendiaries and tens in their beams. yards behind us, but right in our of hundreds of pounds of high ex- repeatable

Tim yelled un- street."

words. Even as he The 'plane banked steeply

plosive had dropped silently into as the night sky below us. In a few Machine-gun stuff, I thought.

yelled, up came the tracer. we slid down, 1,000 feel to star-

H.: board. Good old Tim. Few pilots would crash to earth.

seconds that weight of metal jinked and jinked: the light held I knew could jink on to a target.

US with unwinking certainty. I Already I was on my knees. knew what Tim would do: it was so surely. Jinking is a process hands gripping the of manoeuvre whereby

sides of my perhaps best. There was a long craft alters height

peered downward and course, Below me, the earth spat orange again. Dive

slow climb to safety in the cloud swerving as it were, up and down flame from innumerable

and attack-it was points. Tim's way. and from side to side, during Its

Should I see the bursts? My job approach to the target. Such a

Down we went, straight down was made no easier by the fact the beam. I was in shadow. manoeuvre deceives the ground

had banked violently turn

My defences, which demand for their that Tim

would come. I opened my was beginning his jinking windshield and accuracy that an aircraft fly

knelt again and high time too.

up. My For

hands grasped steady course and height. The

around us had become alive with

the butts of my next shot, indeed, was nearer to

strange fires. The light

guns, my two forefingers curled ack-ack round their triggers. us, if still behind, but high above

1 wai'ed, Streams of tracer peering through my was after us. us in the sky.

sight. My bullets, ranging in colour from orange to greenish yellow, floating up towards us. travelled up so slowly, Thereafter I tried to enjoy the fire-work display. It is not unin- fountain of fire for all the

back toward earth in 3 teresting-provided always it like eruptions from 巍

→

not too near. One speculates

OFI

He

The

turn came, With a sickening were wrench the 'plane was pulled out They of its dive. I drew a little breath and fell sharply.

world staring straight down its beam.

rapidly swinging pretty light had caught us up.

glant

Blinded, paralysed, I knel'

I

was

where the next shell will burst Roman candle. I tried not to no- immobile, I could not move. It is

one speculates, for want of any- thing better to do, as an air-gun- ner.

In sound-controlled shoot-

ing the Germans were doing well:

tice them.

*

रे

=

By now I was looking through

always the same. No one who has never looked into a search- light from a few hundred feet can ever know quite how awful it is for Tim It is less light than pain: there banked so steeply that is no consciousness beyond it. 1 1 craned my neck outside my feared we might side-slip. I tried felt like a roosting pheasant

to focus on that blacker patch of which some poacher had suddenly The icy wind tore at my head, darker ground between those flashed the light of his bullseye, Alling my eyes with tears. Near- arms of visible

I had seen no searchlight, though the side window only, probably there were many ahead, had

screen to see.

]

water that target. I felt some- gone wrong.

en-

on

Batavia

Übefoo

Foochow

BRANCHE9:-

Ipoh

Johore

Kobo

Kowloon

Rangoon Balgon

Ban Francfmom Shanghai

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الجوال

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Muar (Johore] Tokyo

Mukdeo

Teingtao

New York

Yokohama

Pelping

Penang

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DEPO

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periods in Local and Other Currencies on terma which will be quoted on application,

SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES of various sizes To Let..

TRUSTEE and EXECUTOR businesa undertaken.

Hong Kong, 26th February, 1941.

HONG KONG SAVINGS BANK.

The Business of the above Bank is conducted by the HONG KONG AND LONDON BANKERS:-

SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION. Westminster Bank, Ltd.

Rules may be obtained on application. Foreign Exchange and

FOR THE HONG KONG AND description of banking business, SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION. " transacted.

V. M. GRAYBURN,

Chief Manager. Hong Kong. 1st March, 1937,

THE CHARTERED BANK OF INDIA, AUSTRALIA AND CHINA.

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wanted to drop to earth-and- ly 200 miles an hour is well above closed our

lie for ever still in blissful dark- gale force; but in my quick thing must have

ness. Yet something in me stirred glance I saw ahead of our 'plane Surely it was five minutes since a message. That light must go many long pencils of silver light, the bombs fell? The intercom out. An ice-laden, climbing bomb- pale against the moonlit sky, was silent, Then, with an elec- er is a sitting target. swaying gently and slowly, yet tric suddenness, a vast splash of Suddenly, above me, I heard. menacingly inquisitive. Behind light winked, at me from that the muffted tat, tat, tat of Har- .us more sprang up around US shadow patch, another and then y's guns. He, at least was They were coldly beautiful. Grad- another. The bombs had fallen awake to our danger. Suddenly, ually four or five began to con- in a close stick, right across, it. too, I felt my own guns. pounding verge and sway in our direction, Plumb dead centre!" I yelled and kicking under my hands. It was as though we were being excitedly through stalked by the elements. They Three bursts seen.

the intercom. The sensation called me to my- Fourth self. That damned light had got came nearer, hesitating a little, probably in water just at edge of into my very muscles. Tat, fat, but ́ever more sure. My mind and my body began to tense. How quay. Good shooting, George!" tat, tat, tat! Long enough. The } "Any fires from the incendi- guns were cold: mustn't overheat long before they found us? Tim aries?" was all George answered them too quickly. Tat, tat, tat, was still weaving his skillful way Give them, and me a chance," tat, tat. The light wavered wildly CAN AFFORD TO BUY in the German sky. He was not replied. "How can I see any-

and left me. Good. Some of the making it easy for them.-

thing while Tim Careers about ground crew hit,⠀⠀⠀

..

Another burst. I could see bet-

ter now. That long pencil of sil- ver was pointing away to my

£3,000,000

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Our exact target was an enor the sky like a blasted plover?"- mous shipbuilding works and machine shop among the docks, in | the northeast corner of the town. Those docks, long ; straight jarms| For the next half-hour we clr back. I threw discretion to the of water, were easy to plek out cled high above the city. Some winds. My guns roared without In the moonlight and in relation thing primitive and rather fright break. Indifferently I noticed THE PAPER THAT GETS TRUSTEE AND EXECUTORSINP to them we could pinpoint our ening inside me leaped in re- long slivers of orange tracer zip- target most accurately. We had sponse to what I saw. Bremen's ping past me. They were shoot. all seen it at once. Now was dockland was an inferno. Even ing at me. Indifference then the testing time. Accurate bomb- from 12,000 feet and four or five blind anger. They were shooting ing depends upon accurate fly- miles away, the long lines of at me. At me I cursed them ing-course and height must be burning warehouses could be aloud, shrieking defiance. I felt steady. And it is during those picked put. Billowing banks of útlery “cold” again. I shot more

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