1955-04-16 — Page 6

14

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THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1955.

MUTINY IN MID-AIR!

O Lieutenant Ted Strever of the

South African Air Force, newly Four men were prisoners

arrived in Malts, this, was tör-” pedo strike number three, Shortly before nine o'clock on ä

July morning in 1942 he and his crew took off in a formation of nine Beau- forts to attack an enemy oil-tanker, escorted by five destroyers, which had been sighted off the island of Sapienza in southern Greece.

Strever had for his navigator a Lancastrian, Pilot Officer W. M. Dunsmore, of Liverpool, and his wire-

insa

sea

less operator/air gunners were both a New Zealanders, Sergeant J. A. Wilkin- son, and Sergeant A. R. Brown,

1

At a quarter past 11 Brown began

to pick up a cluster of blips on his search radar. Soon, in the distance, they could see the Axis convoy. They turned into the attack. Strever holding the Beau- fort down 50ft, above the sea.

Then he saw a herce rain

benting on the water a few

yards ahead and realised that "all

plane over the

and then with

schoolboy trick the

captives took control

by Ralph

BARKER

four men managed

ta

a

they were flying through clamber into the dinghy before machine-gun fire. Tracer rushed the Beaufort ducked like

whale beneath the waves,

at his eyes and then at the last moment swerved away over his shoulder and was gone.

A marionette

Ούτ

on, a

Ur of the corner of his eye he saw the Beaufort on his lert pull up suddenly like marionette

string and then "hang helplessly in mid- air before it turned on its back and crashed down into the sea. The merchantman looked in credibly close, 800 yards away. Strever called Dunsmore,

"Now!

Dunsnare pressed the relcase button. "Torp - gene."

Now they ran into a curtain

Then they handed him length of rope, one end of which was fastened to the Cant fuselage. Strever swam with it back to the dinghy. When he reached it he gave the thumbs- up sign.

We're in," he said.

Soon they were all aboard the floatplane and when the rest of Strever's crew had been when a tot of brandy, the Cans took off.

To the east they could see the oil tanker, very low in the water but apparently not on fire. In the other direction they saw the last of the Beauforts

The flight lasted exactly two disappearing towards Malta. hours. Strever felt fairly sure Overhead, a Baltimore recon- that they had travelled in a naissance plane circled at 20-northerly direction.

When the Perhaps fixing their Cant Arially came to rest they Coor position.

were disembarked on They stored sullenly towards and an escort bay 1000 chatte Sapienza and captivity. Suddenly Wilkinson

towards the excitedly "Look!" he shouted." plane!"

pointed north. "A

-

Offered brandy

overhead. It began to circle the dinghy and presently it landed

of are from the escorting de TEE doatplane, an Italian Cant stroyers. Wilkinson called to say z 506B, few directly that the torpedo was running hard and true a few feet below the surface. but bis message was drowned as the port engine cracked like a broken leg.

about 50 yards away.

Strever, and his crew began paddling towards it. They made little

the progress and

two groups of men,

Ttalian and

ing

."

to

of them. They were taken by thought car to what Strever must be the local headquarters. Here they were interrogated but no real pressure was brought bear and eventually they were taken

the to

officers' mess. There they were given civilian Four clothes to

change into. huge plates of macaroni were When. placed in front of them. they thought the meal was over, four steaks were The

mea! ended with more brandy and cigarettes, and they were given the run of the mess for the rest of the day,

brought in.

Instantly there was a free- for-all as the two crews struggled for possession of the revolver?

Drawn

by ROBB

0.5

and the control column, and he struggled to free himself he fouled the controls and sent the ..Boatplane into a steep dive. Wilkinson, flung forward like a piece of loose cargo, caught the corporal-by the scruff of a песк and with 1 .Herculeat effort lifted hím clear.

Free-for-all

14

Strever was

By this time Bpointing the gun coolly in the pilot's ear, believing the day had been won, unaware that the second pilot was in the act of turning a Luger on him.

Saw

EXPLOITS of the GOLDFISH CLUB

and pointing to the compass. And so that the Italian should be in no doubt as to their des- tination her added, "Malta, Malta,"

kaput" The gauges were read- ng zero. Strever called Willery son and Brown_h

We must be pretty close to“ Malta," he said. "For God's The Italian turned to him in sake, keep a sharp look-out. And we'd better release the enguish.

Eyeties. We can't leave these devils tied up if we're going to get shot down."

"Malta?" The word. meant only one thing to

the second pilot. His eyes bulged. "Spitfires!" He made a motion: describing machine-gun are and the demise of the Cant,

He grinned

Five minutes later Brown shouted at the top of his voice, wildly and ecstatically, "Maltali

Strever corrected him. “Gozo," he said, "but I think I CELD seo Malta too." The time was 240. The last and perhaps most dangerous lap. lay ahead,

Creeping in under the island's radar screen, they were pow only three miles off-shore.

It was

CUTREVER grinned and went

back to talk to Dunsmore. Between them they began to re-

construct on a blank sheet of paper the approximate slant of the Greek coast up towards the adlo masts above Valletta that Adriatic, the thin heel and toe the ten Spitfires came rushing of Italy, the appendage of

Sicily at them out of the sun.

as they sighted, then

and somewhere south of Sicily Dunsmore instantly took of two arbitrary blote that repre- his white singlet and trailed it" Sentry Malta and Goza It was out of the cockpit in token of like sticking a pin in a list of runners They

howed their surrender. In the turret Brown spun the guns about as the re- Italian ravi- cartography to the

signal to show cognised

the who shook his head fighters he was not going to fire. gator violently. They treed his wrists But the ten Spitfires, strung out pencil and made swift correr and

snatched Dunamore's in follow-the-leader

fashion, came relentlessly on. Llons,

he

like a lightning artist. Strever and Dunsmore replotted their position.

"What do you think?" asked Strever.

Point blank

"I don't think we can be for THE first Spitfire opened up at pointblank range with can-

out," said Dunsmore. "Keep on

a landfall on the toe of Italy or twisted

we can an Sicily. Then course again for Malta,"

this track for another half-hour non and machine-gun fire, and If we see nothing by then, we'd the smooth surface of the Can's better turn due west and make starboard wing splintered and into an ugly pock- set marked sheet

of scrap Stever shouted to the

come down on pilot to

Brown holding down stunned observer, Italian second pilot triumphantly.

the

the

round

with

Luger.

The nearest missile to hand heading for

coughed

the

and

As the floatplane plodded on, Strever took over the controls water. As the floatplane siewed swing

from time to time to familiarise round drunkenly on the sea the he himself with them.

After they three engines had been on the Malt

hour without any sight of land, Dunsmore went

was a seat-cover. He burled it w

NEXT

The British crew realised and steady progress towards the even more fully what was hesi of Italy. Four men faced ringly, striking the Luger forward and spoke to WEEK meant when they were taken to the prospect of years of im and knocking it from the second Strever. Time's up.".

bed. Four of the Italians had prisonment.

Four men were

Instinctively Strever turned

pilot's grasp.

he said. "We'd bitter the Beaufort towards Sapienza,

"Tomorrow bad' given up their two double rooms going on leave. Poised between

Instantly there was a free-for- try and make a land-. The port engine was a smoking British, eyed each other specu→

"so that their prisoners should the two parties, a kind of all as the two crews struggled wreck and the starboard engine latively. Then Strever, bowing

pass a comfortable night.

neutral umpire, stood the for possession of the Luger. was running roughly under the to the inevitable, stripped and strain. With no height it was, dived over the side,

covering

corperal guard.

Strever kept the pilot covered. Strever turned the TATER the only Italian officer They were awakened at seven hopeless to try to reach

while the the distance

who spoke any English told o'clock next morning, and, while

Dunsmore hooked, the Cant to starboard. to- to the Cant

wards the Italian coast- Luger out of the scrum back to coast. Better to ditch her now swift, strong strokes.

them that they were to be flown they were at breakfast they... risk a sudden than

The Italian crew hauled him to Taranto engine

Wilkinson. The morale of the line. next morning for were left alone

few for a Lallure and in uncontrolled aboard

and showed

internment in a prison camp. moments. Instantly they began

Italian crewmen was broken. dive into the sea.

charming andety to be friend-

10 discuss the possibility of "Tomorrow bad The sea had roughened and ly, offering him a large tot of

tonight

escape, the ditching was heavy, but brandy and a cigarette.

good," said the Italians,

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■

Wretched day

HE corporal sat down behind THE

the pilot. It was a bad day "I've worked out where we for a non-filer; a wretched day

"Either for a ground, type with said Wilkinson. are," Levkas or Cottu. Taranto can't queasy stomach. be more than about 200 miles.

n

-Levelled out

Mystery of the

lost

message

spluttered sind then cut dead. They had rum, out of petrol.

Immediately the air- craft was still, Strever and his crew rustred out on to the wings and waved frantically to the Spitfire pilots. The whole

circling

formation

overhead.

Mercifully,

Aghter boys

the flipped

It was not long before they their firing buttons to sate, and, sighted land but now came a after a long look at the Cant shout from Brown. Junkers to satisfy themselves that it was 52 formating on us."

course,

properly winged, they returned in formation to Malta.

Now that the incident. was so

But Captain Mastrodrasz was hot done with yet. He kept the Cant in a steep dive, determined

Strever to foil the escape by landing the

held his Cant on the sea.

hardly daring to look round, feeling like a thief. Brown nearly ended, Strever and his waited until the German air-

crew felt a sharp twinge... of was some three hundred

distant and then dipped conscience at the way they had What a his guns la salute, ready to fire treated the Ralians. them instantly the Junkers 32 way to repay the kindness of looked at all belligerent. After their captors from the moment two or three tense minutes, in of rescue right up to the start which even the, German air of this trip! But the Italians craft itself seemed to be eyeing

Wilkinson looked at his watch,... I we don't do something 10.25. They must be about; quickly we'll be in a POW halfway. It was now or never. camp by lunch-time.

"Has anyone thought of try- ing to capture the aircraft and fy it to Malta? Malta's about 350 miles, 1 reckon."

"I've thought of it. Wilkie," said Strever.

Everyone there

THE whole Italian headquar-

ters staff seemed to have preceded them to the jetty to see them off as they boarded. another Cant floatplane.

Somehow he had to distract

the attention of the observer, -

who sat between him and the STREVER brandished the re- volver before his eyes, and airsick corporal.

The only trick he knew was a then raised it as though he would schoolboy affair. You pointed smash in the Italian's skull. suddenly out of the window and The horizon came down from while your vicum turned his above them like a blind as the head *way you had him Cant floatplane slowly levelled momentarily at your mercy. He out. would have to take a chance with this fellow,

Meanwhile Dinsmore and Brown, were busy tying up the

yards

the suspiciously, it pulled were cheerful, and seemed to away to the north. Strever and bear no ill will.. Dunsmore then bent to the task of making a landfall and set- ting course for Malta,

rest of the crew with a length Benzine kaput'

Turned head.

of mooring hawser.

Strever now took over the controls and turned the flot-

;

The

Special change

THEY opened their volumin

cus bags and brought out: brandy and wine, and cigarettes. The Cant crew consisted of "Led

OOK!

observer plane 90 degrees to port of their DROWN noticed that the Italian they had been taking on leave. his head, and previous track in the rough D fight engineer was struggling When the air/sea rescue launch

arived one with his bonds and that his

and a half hours pilot, second pilot, engineer, instantly the window clouded direction of Malta, wireless operator-observer, and into an opaque blackness and But

WES their jubilant mood face

strangely contorted later its crew were greeted by corporal acting as escort, then splintered into stars as passed swiftly as the hazards He kept pointing forward until ning mellow men.

was I

was

armed with a 45 revolver that Wilkinson's fist sack into looked as though it had been

his or the fight ahead of them Brown realised what he

On reaching Malta they were trying to say. The petrol tanks jaw. There

recol crystallised 10

in their minds. rescued from a museum.

needed changing over.

taleen to the nearest "officers" Wilkinson allowed the impetus Dunsmore could and no maps. The Italian pilot introduced of the punch to carry him past Evidently the Italians were con-hards and went forward with from tinned stew they were Brown untied the engineer's mess, where as a special change himself. "Captain Galetama the table; then he jumped over firmed coast-crawlers.

him. The Italian switched the given the besieged island's Mastrodrasa, at your service." the observer's slouched body Malta was nearly twice as far cocios over, and then

delicacy bully-best. He grinned, showing a

pointed rarest set of and snatched at the corporal's as Taranto. They did not know dramatically to his watch. They Afterwards they escorted the incredibly white, even teeth.

We go to Italy on leave. I see revolver. His hands closed over the speed or the endurance of understood his meaning clearly Italian crew to the island prison

It greedily and he tore at it with the Cant

enough. The petrol tanks would camp, pleaded for the best ac- bambino"he rocked

an all his strength.

Strever called Dunsmore,

commodation, and," with rum dy by 1230. Imaginary baby in his ATTILS "for the first time. For you, it Next moment the pistol was

"Get that second pilot untied,

Strever swung the aircraft misgivings,, Bade them farewell, isted" He shrugged

his in his hands, and as the corporal will you? I'm going to put him

round on a southerly. heading shoulders, then turned on his fell back into the pilot's lap in the seat and come back for a and for the next hour they heel and went forward to the Wilkinson handed the pistol to conference." pilot's seat.

Strever, who had quickly back- The Tallan, second pilot was lumbered steadily on, sezreely Staggering along under an him up, leaving Dunsmore duly released and pushed into

Suddenly the Italians be- [These extracts are from “Down overload of men and luggage, and Brown to attend to the ob- the pilot's seat, b

on that

voluble, heading," came

"No Ben- in the Drink,” to be published unable to climb above 1,000 server and flight engineer. The "Keep

Benzine by Chatto v and, Windus feet, the Cant made slow corporal fell between the pilot shouted Strever, gesticulating zine," they, shouted.

mL

·

REDS

TRY NEW

I

a word being spoken.

SÜMÜ

SQUEEZE ON BERLIN

Berlin. Top rate is 320 marks, for a mandos of German polios were 2. To force Adenauer to meet compared with 19 8d in the N West Berlin it is single journey by a laden truck formed by the Allies and the the East Germans, as a Arst West,

Heavy trucking is so organised Beds withdrew their terrorists, step towards all-German talks A dollar Latches two Est called "the big black that an empty truck is rarely Another lull. Then all telephone on bigger subjects, such as re- marks knedend of four-plus mail" the Reds' new seen on the autobahns. Each ines between East and West unification road tax being levied on truck averages three round trips were cut and rernain so. Again, The new Red persecution will the West. Visions are charged cost West Berlin 60 million a compulsory 15 Westmarks trucks from the West enter a week, so a truck owner will power deliveries were dowed corks year, Trucking, som for every day they spend in the down-to almost nil The West

Eroti İmber-20 cadrul / Mickets ing and leaving the Soviet pay in one week 1,820 marks..

since bullt a new power station. panies say the bill would cripple

them.

But someone must find must be paid for in Westmarks

not to or foreign currenty. Almost daily kidnappings go. it, if living costs are

Adenifier's government, now on in attempts to intimidate the 19 population in the free half of

plans to end in 28 freight. trains a day to West Berlin fam the city,

stead of the present 14% vite

But rail charges, higher-than

sector.

It is the latest Red trick

in the nine-year-old cold West Berit is well accustomed war that lets up only occa to this kind of thing. And the sionally usually while free corner of the city wonders

what will be the Reds next. The new barrassing is ex- Unless increases are passed to they think up something move to gain control of the cused on grounds of heavy road the consumer, West Germany road tranport, would jackup new to annoy the people on whole of Berlin.

repair coats But so light is must add this money in sub- living costs, too

thờ the other side of the barbed-

East Berlin road traffic that ex sidles to truck owners to the And Rusda's, puppets Every few months "comes perts say maintenance costs are £70 million paid to keep West

Fast ** have an unbeatable. wire threading through something new.

a tea-bite in the economy;

Berlin didding over

of weapon up their divided Berlinfek

Once all East was denied-off-

Mound the can sidetracic, freight Queues of trucks grind up to from the Western half. Then

Allied observers do not blame halt at the Fascian control there was a complete blockade ratification of the Paris treaties pointa. Soklets, lift the heavy everything for 21⁄2 million people believe it is an attempt:

of West Berlin. For a year? 101- the latest move. They barriers, Jelling one truüete: through at a time, check way when this falled, battalions of Americ

vis airlifted into the city, Doree bille, Inspect, the freight, make a

to take the first hep if quick calculation and present, huge wooped in to beat up recognis the bill

men and women, a Amzled-gombe

Reda

Call the theate

spection blackmail demands

One way or another East goods and so Germany mulets.

of traffic thate West good food would spoil, rot bing is in transit

James Irvine

reliable qurrency?

and

£90 rhiniton a

manel so rigged that an East