N.Z. FIGHTER SQUADRON

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23318, 2 May 1941, Page 10

N.Z. FIGHTER SQUADRON

TWENTY PILOTS PICKED

t ; - • TRAINING NEARLY ENDED

(F.0.0.C.) LONDON, April 10. Twenty, pilots from all parts of New Zealand have.; been selected to, form the New Zealand Fighter Squadron, They will fly- cannon-firing Spitfires bought by funds publicly subscribed in New Zealand.

With the exception of the commanding officer. Squadron Leader M. W. B. Knight (Dannevirke), , and the two flight commanders, Flight Lieutenant F N. Brinsden (Takapuna), nad Flight Lieutenant J. C. Martin (Timaru) they are all Royal New Zealand Air Force men. Their average age -is. 22. Ten of the pilots have taken part in operations against the Nazis. Some fought over Dunkirk, and others took part in the autumn Battle lor Britain. Between them they have already shot down seven Germans. Two have also been shot down themselves. The other pilots have been undergoing training since their arrival from New Zealand. The squadron was formed early’ in March and is at present training as a unit. Within a week or two. it will become operational. It. will then be transferred to an operational station, where it will take over the Spitfires bought by New Zealanders. ~ These will have inscribed on them the names of the provinces which raised the money for them; and then the New Zealanders will set out after their first Hun. It will be a great day when the first Nazi is brought down by the squadron and a “scor? board-, started. A weekly “sweep" is being run, and it will be collected by the pilot who starts the score. In addition to the commanding officer and the two flight commanders, the pilots are: Pilot Officers E. P, Wells (Cambridge), G. H. Francis, and P. S. Mcßride (Takapuna), C. Stewart (Wellington). W. A. Middleton ket), A. G. Mclntyre (Palmerston North), and R. Barrett (Wellington); Sergeant Pilots W. Crawford-Compton and H. L. Thomas (Mission Bay). R. J. Bullen (New Plymouth), H. N. Sweetman (Auckland), J. Maney (Herne Bay), A. B. Smith (Tauranga), J. KPoirteous (Grey Lynn), L. P. Griffiths (Wairoa). K. D. Cox (Hamilton), and D. S. McGregor (Dunedin), Some of the squadron’s ground staff are also New Zealanders. Four of them are wireless operators, who will service the wireless and electrical equipment ih the Spitfires. They came to England to return with the first flight of six Wellingtons that would have flown to New Zealand had the war not broken out. They are; Sergeant F. M. B. George (Auckland) and Corporals N. Murray (Wanganui), G. H. French (Rotorua), and T. G. Smith (New Plymouth). Five of the armourers are also New Zealanders. _ it will be their job to service the eight Browning guns in the fighters. They are: LA.C.’s E. S. Bongard (Auckland), T. H. Mac Gibbon (Southland). G. B. Erridge (Dunedin), and _ A.C. s A. W. Martin (Wellington) and J. B. Neville (Christchurch). “Golden Rules”

In the short time that they have been together, -the New Zealanders have thoroughly settled down, and, under the genial and firm leadership of the commandihg officer, Squadron Leader Knight, they are looking forward eagerly to the time when they start operations. This will not be a new experience for many of the pilots, but all will be glad when the .grooms ing period is over and they begin tneir “job of work.” ' „ A fighter pilot has four “golden rules. He must know his aeroplane thoroughly so that he has the feel of it at any height; he must have eyes like a hawk, and during every second he is flying he must be on the lookout for the enemy: he must kn«w how his aeroplane will behave at great heights, up to ;30,000 feet, and he must know its habits at altitudes where aeroplanes are inclined to become “sloppy”; and he must also be, a deadly shot with the Spitfire's eight guns. When a fighter pilot joins his squadron his first job is to get to know his aeroplane. He flies alone until he is thoroughly familiar with it. and then he 'joins the squadron in formation flying up to 30,000 feet. Next he goes up alone again to do aerobatics at heights varying between 10,000 and 15,000 feet. When these exercises are completed he does another series of aerobatics at 25,000 to 30,000/ feet, at the same time becoming accustomed to wearing his oxygen mask. During all these exercises he‘is using his radio telephone, becoming thoroughly experienced with the direction-finding wireless, and practising “hpmecomin|iter he has finished his flying training at 30,000 feet the pilot has a foretaste of actual combat. Pilots are. paired and their Spitfires fitted with cine-camera guns. Then they go up and “attack” each other. At a given height they part and start on their first “dog-flght,” the winner being the, pilot who returns with the best set of photographs- from the cine-cameras. At every available (opportunity the pilots also go to' the ranges to fire live ammunition at towed targets and also at ground targets. . .. ' After a period of section formation flying thatJs, in threes, the pilots take off , for training in flying as a squadron. This also is an important part of their work and requires practice. They learn to climb and descend in formation through clouds using their instruments. Finally comes wing formation flying, in co-operation with other squadrons. In suitable weather, interceptions are also practised. One flight takes off to represent enemy bombers. Their positions are plotted by the observer corps. The\second flight goes up to attack the '‘Aiders.” and the exercise is carried out under actual war-time conditions. Night flying also has to be learned. Dusk landings come first, to allow the pilot to become accustomed to the fading light. This is followed by flying in the moonlight, and finally the pilot takes off in a complete blackout unaided by the moon. Operational patrols are carried out at night, but it is recognised that it is practically impossible to intercept the Germans on moonless nights and without scientific instruments. The New Zealand squadron has completed the majority- of this training; and already one of the main items of interest and speculation is: who is going to win that “bob-in” sweep for shooting down the first Hun? NEW ZEALANDERS’ COMMANDER ‘SQUADRON LEADER M. W. B. KNIGHT LONDON, April 10. With 1200 flying hours to his credit, a first-class instructor, and with a wide experience of fighter patrol work against the Nazis, Squadron Leader M. W. B. Knight (Dannevirke), the 24-year-old commanding officer of the New Zealand Fighter Squadron, is an ideal leader for the New Zealand Eliots who are to fly the Spitfires ought, by public subscription in the Dominion. After leaving Wanganui Collegiate School‘where he was capped for football and cricket, he learnt to fly at the Dannevirke Club. ; His instructor was Flying Officer J. Buckeridge. Like many other New Zealanders at that time, he worked his way to England, to join the Koyal Air Force. He was a ship's writer for the voyage and his "salary” was a shilling a month. He. arrived early in 1935, and was granted a short service commission as a fighter pilot After nearly two years with his squadron he was appointed as an air firing instructor, teaching the everincreasing flow of pilots air firing and formation -dive bombing. One of ms pupils was the late Flying -Officer E. J. (“Cobber”) Kain. This period as

an instructor ended last liovember, when Squadron Leader Knight was. transferred to, take a refresher course on Spitfires. He was then posted to a squadron of Hurricanes for three months, attached to the now; famous Burma Squadron. As the autumn Battle for Britain had been won by the Royal Air Force by. this time,: and. the Nazi pilots were making, only tentative daylight appearances oyer the English countryside, . this period of patrol flying was comparatively “dull” from the pilots’ point of view. * Squadron Leader Knight frequently led fighter patrols over Kent, hilt the only sight they had of the Luftwaffe was thin white vapour trails indicating that the Nazis had not* come to stay. He also took part in patrols out to sea, and in covering the return from France of aircraft after carrying out daylight sweeps; ■ Before being appointed to command the New Zealanders, Squadron Leader. Knight was attached to a Czech squadron for a month,' leading a flight. He also did about 100 hours of night flying. This he regarded as being “good fun.” .-

In common with other pilots he found that it is extremely difficult to intercept enemy aircraft on dark, moonless nights, even with the assistance of scientific instruments. There are better opportunities on full moonlit nights. Then, by flying below the .German aircraft, it is frequently possible to pick up, their silhouettes against the bright sky.. - - - His, neatest, approach to a raider was -when a warning was given just as he was about to take: off. Bombs fell a few minutes after he -was. in the : air, but even so the German -was dif-' ficult to locate. Another. British pilot; fired a long hurst,,but the- Nazi retired abruptly..