IRON CURTAIN IN AIR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 268, 24 August 1946, Page 5

IRON CURTAIN IN AIR

. YUGOSLAV ACTION

BROZ-TITO IGNORES U.S. ULTIMATUM

(N.Z. Press Association-Copyright.) (Rec. 12.40 p.m.> LONDON, Aug. 23. Belgrade radio to-day said: “As the American airmen forced down in Yugoslavia have already been released, Broz-Tito has refused to accept the American ultimatum.’' The radio’ gives no details of any official reply to the United States Note, but added that Yugoslavia had given permission to the Americans to recover the aircraft, whose crew and passengers were released yesterday. Captain William Crombie, pilot of Ihe plane forced down by Yugoslav lighters, interviewed at Gorizia, said the Yugoslavs opened fire with ma-chine-guns after he had failed to understand signals which were later explained to mean that he should land. The fighters fired at least two and possibly more bursts at his plane. Crombie, during the war, flew 23 missions to drop supplies to BrozTito’s forces. He gave details of his flight and said he thought he was clear of Yugoslav territory, but asked’ Udine airfield for a bearing, for which he had to wait because the airfield was operating to another plane. The next thing that happened was that the fighters dived. “I did not know what they meant.” Then came a burst of fire: The plane was not seriously damaged, but broke up when it force-landed. The Vienna correspondent of the Associated Press says the military air transport service is avoiding all risk of trouble in future, and will not fly any aircraft near the gun-guarded Yugoslav frontier. Aircraft will use the Brenner Pass route, which is frequently closed by weather.

The correspondent adds that there is still no explanation of the withdrawal of landing rights in Budapest or Bucharest, necessitating the rerouting of American civil airlines around South-east Europe. “ The correspondent- describes developments as the creation of “an iron curtain in the air.”