SOME FLYER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 305, 27 December 1939, Page 4

SOME FLYER.

N.Z. PILOT PRAISED.

AMERICAN AT FRONT.

HARD-WORKING AIRMEN.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

SAN FRANCISCO, December 5.

That brilliant feporting editor of Los Angeles, William ("Bill") Henry, son of an Australian clergyman, who, while returning from England to California, was caught in London by the war declaration, and immediately merged into the business of becoming one of the best war correspondents from the United States, is sending descriptive accounts of happenings at the war front in France. In one of his cabled dispatches he told of tile heroism of a young New Zealand flyer who, while in the Koyal Air Force, sent a Nazi 'plane crashing near the Allied aerodrome. "Flyers with front line air squadrons do not live a soft and easy life," he says; "I have just returned from spending 24 hours with the British fighter squadron, nearest the front, and 1 can testify that there are no bankers' houra for the boys. They are billeted in a tiny French village behind the Maginot Line. In the central square ie a statue erected in honour of more than 20 citizens who were summarily- shot by German invaders in 1915 as 'an object lesson.' "The only modern plumbing belongs to the village padre, but a clever. squadron doctor has constructed a Turkish bath in a tent. Strain On Nerves. "The flyers are called on the field early—early enough so they are ready to fly at dawn. Fortunately, dawn is getting later every day. Then, after thiy* , patrol, they grab a bite of lunch and are off again for the,afternoon. "Flying patrols along the line at an altitude of three or four miles and a speed of 300 miles an hour or better — plus the necessity for a constant watch for the enemy—is a pretty tough strain on youthful nerves. They would much prefer daily encounters and battles tl-»» the same strain without combat. T'oe youngsters usually work off the etrain with hair-raising exhibition acrobatics when they return. "One prize pilot, a New Zealander, scares the entire countryside to death with hie magic touch at his 'plane's controls, which permits him to escape crashes by a whisker. At the request of the French he dived at one of their anti-aircraft crews for practice. He came eo close that everybody had to duck, and a captain lost his hat while tumbling in the mud." Kew Zealander Downs 'Plane.

In his next dispatch, Mr. Henry wrote: "Remember that young daredevil New Zealamler I wrote about yesterday? To-night he is the toast of hi-* squadron. With all the spectacular fineese displayed in hie prankish acrobatics around the aerodrome ho brought down a giant Naei reconnaiesartce 'plane to-day and did everything but splatter it on his own aerodrome. He did bring it down not five miles from his home field, where fellow pilots could see the first victory credited to their squadron. "BiS manner of doing it was.quite up to expectations. He v?as stajiding by on the aerodrome when he saw Archie shells bursting high in the air. He took off and more than five miles up encountered the giant enemy 'plane. He succeeded in out-climbing it. and pounced suddenly down, riddling the 'plane and sending it into a terrific dive with Death apparently at the controls, ae the three crew members failed *to fife a e ingle shot or make a move to halt the headlong dive.

"Downward it plunged to eplatter in thousands of tiny pieces at the crossroads of the only two streets in a tiny French village.

"Another pilot of the same British squadron \va« less lucky. Chasing another Nazi 'plane ho ran into a shower of anti-aircraft fire from an unknown source which punctured t)ie oil line juet as he began shooting at the fleeing enemf. ■

"Bathed ; in eticky oil and dizzy from shock, the pilot fell hundreds of feet Iwfore he finally managed to wipe hie {Toggle* and adjust himself. He straightened the 'plane barely in time to bring it to a good landing in an open field, while the Nazi 'plane limped away, apparently -injured, but possibly to eaiety acroee the line.