"BOOMERANG" BOMBER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 85, 11 April 1945, Page 8

"BOOMERANG" BOMBER

HE ALWAYS CAME BACK SHOOTING STARTED

By 402879

Brown was a cautious bomber-pilot. So cautious, in fact, that the nickname "Boomerang" was tagged before this surname. He was unlucky enough to reach his target on very few occasions during his tour of operations. The majority of times, he had turned back just after crossing the English coast, with some sort of trouble or other. Heating failure, perhaps, or it may be a "mag." drop on one engine. Hence the Boomerang. He always returned. So it was that the squadron would depart on a flight to Germany scheduled to take eight or nine hours, but after three hours or so had passed the sound of an aircraft's motors would be heard over the 'drome and the Wing-Co. keeping vigil in the control tower would say with a sigh of resignation: "I'll bet that's Boomerang Brown!" Invariably he was right. One night an all-out effort was called for, and the cautious one was given the hint by the CO. himself that this was one target he'd better keep a date with. Take-off time came, and away into the dusk went the heavy bombers to penetrate deep into Hunland. One hour—two hours—three hours passed, and back at the 'drome the WingCo., turning to the CO., said: "Well, it looks as thougn Brown has been lucky to-night." He spoke too soon, however, as almost immediately the familiar drone was heard in the darkness above. "I'll handle this!" said the CO., and Brown, alighting from his aircraft at dispersal point, came face to face with a very irate senior officer of the R.A.F. "Well, Brown," said the Great One, quiet of voice but with fire in his eve. What was it to-night—heating failure?" £.0, sir," replied Boomerang. 'One mo,or playing up, then?" Once again a negative shake of the head. "Then perhaps," said the CO.. heavily sarcastic, "you would not mind telling me what went wrong?" "Well, sir," said the culprit, "as we were crossing the French coast some unprincipled b s started to shoot at us!"