ACE'S MEMORIES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 117, 19 May 1945, Page 7

ACE'S MEMORIES

CRAWFORD-COMPTON

HIS TWO '"CLOSE SHAVES"

In the memory of a pilot who has seen all phases of the air warfare of Europe there have been certain outstanding changes. Wing-Com-mander W. V. Crawford-Compton pointed out this morning that during the Battle of Britain it was always possible to get a light with the Luftwaffe. The German pilots looked for it. After 1942 they had to be hunted out. He did not know whether it was a general order to them to avoid action, but it was obvious that they were not seeking combat.

It was known, he said, that the Jerries hated the Spitfires, which could still climb and turn faster than anything else in the European theatre. Even in the last stages of combat German pilots who were captured expressed their hatred of meeting Spitfires. These planes had undoubtedly had a major part T in achieving victory. *

Fighters for Different Jobs He pointed out that Britain ha«S built the Spitfire for the protection of a small island country, and for close army co-operation. America had built her fighters for long-range escort purposes with day bombers. On the recent attack on Berchtesgarten by R.A.F. Lancasters, American Mustangs of the R.A.F. had flown 1450 miles there and back, each using 400 gals of petrol. Long range fighters would be the Immediate necessity in the war against Japan. Since D day the work of the fighters had largely been ground strafing. Part of the technique of combatting V 2 bombs had been the patrols they carried out just before dusk on the railway lines serving the bomb site areas. They would dive in close and endeavour to make at least five or six breaks in each line —the idea being that the Germans would not have a chance to mend them all before daybreak. Then Mosquitoes would go in and they would continue dropping flares over the whole area all night. This system had saved Britain from much heavier Vbombing than she would otherwise have had to endure.

Close Calls on Patrol His two "closest calls" had come when he was on patrol over France. The first came one day when he and other fighters were escorting _ 24 Liberators to Rouen. They had ]ust got over the French coast when they were "bounced" by 30 Huns. They got out of that scrap with the loss of one Liberator and one Spitfire. Eventually 16 Spitfires were escorting 22 Liberators. On the way to Rouen and back they were attacked in all by 80 or 90 Jerry fighters, and lost two Liberators and two Spit"ln my squadron of 12 Spitfires we lost two and six were ripped about. I think we destroyed eight Huns. I got a cannon shell hit in the fuselage." "How many Jerries did you get on that run?" he was asked. "I got two," he said, and changed the subject.

With Seven After Him The other occasion —and this was the closest of all—was when he was over Amiens and saw three Huns m the distance. He turned oyer on his back and went down to tne attack, imagining that he was being supported. He had chased the Jerries in towards Paris when suddenly he saw black tracer flashing past and found that six or seven Huns were after him, and that he was on *""I°turned over and went for my life The Huns then were faster than the Spitfire, but couldn't turn as quickly, so I would go for my life for a spell and then when they got close I would go into a turn, wait till I was on the inside, firing just to frighten them, and then go straight down and then off again for another straight burst. "All I was thinking about then was cabbage soup in prison camps, but I managed to get out of it. They had to change my engine when I got back. They are terribly reliable, the Spits. That's one thing about them. When you get into one of them you know that it's going to take a damn good man to get you out of it."