COOL COURAGE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 187, 9 August 1941, Page 7

COOL COURAGE

Czechs Suppress Fire In Bomber REACH BRITAIN AFTER ATTACK Rec. 1 p.m. RUGBY, Aug. 8. The Czech crew of a Wellington bomber, by their commendable coolness and courage and fine airmanship, recently brought home their aircraft safely under great difficulties. The bomber was returning from an attack when just over the Dutch coast it was fired upon by a German night fighter. The rear gunner returned the fire, but cannon shells burst in the bomb compartment and set the aircraft on fire. The captain turned the aircraft back over Holland to enable the crew to bale out if the fire could not be extinguished. Determined efforts were made, and after 15 minutes the fire was extinguished. It had burned the fabric not only off the top and bottom of one wing, but also alongside the fuselage. Inside the aircraft it had destroyed a chart board, various pieces of equipment and still more fabric. The wireless would no longer work, the under-carriage dropped and stayed down, and the bomb doors fell half open and remained open for the remainder of the flight. Despite this and other damage to the structure, the pilot turned once more to sea and brought the bomber home. All the crew escaped injury except minor burns and scorching while fighting the fire.