GHOST BOMBER

STEERED ITSELF NEAR HOME Rec. 12.20 p.m. RUGBY, April 5. The members of the crew of a Liberator bomber had a new experience when they found themselves flying beside a erewless bomber on a return journey from Germany. Separated from its formation, the Liberator dropped its bombs and turned back to England to find itself in company with two other Liberators. Both were hit. One blew up, and the other was set or its course after eight of the crew'had bailed out. Flying near, the pilot saw that in t the other bomber nobody was at the controls. The other two men had apparently been killed when the plane was hit.

"We followed the plane for 150 miles," said the pilot. "She flew on a straight, level course to England/ in perfect formation with us, as if a pilot was at the controls and the navigator was guiding her home. As we approached the English coast I radioed to the nearest field for instructions what to do about the seemingly empty bomber. It was agreed that the only safe thing was to shoot her down in the Channel. Circling around, we came in for the kill. The ghost ship turned on us as if to bid us farewell, and then, the gasoline apparently being exhausted, the two left engines conked out. She banked off to the right of us and swung into the Channel just off the shore. Later.we learned that the bomber was less than 10 miles from its base."—B.O.W.