FORCED LANDINGS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 305, 7 October 1942, Page 3

FORCED LANDINGS.

NEW ZEALANDER’S EXPERIENCE

(Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) DESERT AERODROME, Oct. 5

Three times aeroplanes in which Pilot-Officer I. W. Evison, of Hastings, was navigator have been forced to crasli-land after operations, hut he is still on the job, and hopes soon to take a pilot’s course. He is now.with the air rescue flight. Pilot-Officer Evison left New Zealand for England as a fully-trained navigator in January, 1940. With the 75th New Zealand Bomber Squadron he carried .o,iit .32 operational flights, all except one. over Germany, that one being to Italy. Returning from one operation . the aeroplane encountered a severe snowstorm, and landed some distance from the aerodrome. In a series ctf bounces it reached the aerodrome much the worse for wear, but with the crew not seriously hurt. Caught in a fierce barrage over Berlin, the plane in which Pilot-Officer Evison was navigator twisted and turned for half an hour, making its escape with the under-carriage shot away. Holed in three places, .one hole in the fuselage being 3ft 6in. wide, and without wireless, the plane made off at a greatly reduced speed, but in spite of these handicaps it landed safely in England. Pilot-Officer Evison flew out from England toward the end of April last year. After being in Iraq for a time he came to the desert. When lie was bombing over Benghazi his plane was damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and in landing at a desert aerodrome it crashed into another machine fully loaded with bombs and petrol. Pilot-Officer Evison was 'rescued from the blazing plane while at intervals bombs were bursting, but he suffered so severely from burns and cuts that lie was off duty for seven months.