ON NIGHT PATROL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 185, 20 May 1941, Page 8

ON NIGHT PATROL.

AUCKLAND AIRMAN'S RAID. ADVENTURE OVER FRANCE. LONDON, March 24. The “night intruder patrol” has replaced the “dawn patrol,” famous in the last war. One of many New Zealanders attached •to night fighting squadrons, entirely the product of the present war, is Sergeant-Air-Gunner E. E. Parsons, of Epsom, Auckland. Every night these fighters range the skies, seeking Nazi raiders over Britain and also over France.

“Early in March wo were flying over France in a night that was as black as ink;’?-"said Sergeant “There were Ao. ‘ flak ’ or searchlights to worry us, and then we saw a German aerodrome. It was beautifully lit up, and we picked it up miles away. Wo circled round and saw about 12 Germans ’returning from a raid and waiting to land. “We came down to about 800 feet and followed up behind one of . them. We got fairly close to it, and then the pilot dived on it, giving it a long burst. It was a. Junkers 88. It went straight down and-did not pull out of the dive. That started up all the guns and the searchlights. So we, dropped a couple of bombs on the flare path-. All the aerodrome lights wore switched off, so we flew off from the aerodrome and hung around, waiting.

“A little while later the Gormans switched on the landing lights again, so we returned. This time we found a Heinkel 111. We were flying at about 200 foot, and we attacked the ‘ Jerry ’ from about 00 yards. I gave it about three-quarters of' a pan right through its nose. The navigation lights wont out and it went straight into the ground. “Then another of the ‘ Jerries ’ evidently thought the ground defences wore opening up at him, because he fired off a recognition signal. It hit the ground and, fortunately for us, lit everything up. Wie were diving straight at a ploughed field, and wore only about 50 feet away from it.

“The pilot climbed steeply, and wo went up like an express lift. It was a lucky thing for us, that light, because it was so dark wo did not know the ground was so near. As wo began to climb T noticed we were below the tops of the trees. • ' “The guns lot off at us again, and so wo lot off another bomb on the flare path. We saw another ‘Jerry,’ and the pilot gave him a long hurst, hut what happened, to him we do not know. He broke away very quickly. “We circled round for a bit longer, and one searchlight kept worrying us and picking us up. So avo dived on it, and the pilot let a bomb go at about 100 feet. The light went out after that and did not come on again. “By that time we had boon over the aerodrome for about 50 minutes, and it was about time to pack up and go home. On the way back several searchlights picked us up, but aa’o managed to twist out of their beams all right. Altogether it was a great show..”