LOOKING FOR GERMAN WARSHIPS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 226, 19 June 1940, Page 3

LOOKING FOR GERMAN WARSHIPS

Moonlight Flight Over The Skaggerak CANADIAN PILOT’S STORY A flying officer of the Royal Air Force who comes from Calgary, last month described a flight to Oslo in the search for enemy warships and transports. This flying officer went to England some five years and. a half ago to join the Royal Air Force. Previously he had done about 100 hours’ civil flying with the Calgary Air Club. He took part iu the first British flight over Germany on September 3. “As a matter of fact,” he said, I was the first casualty of the war, because I was reported missing for three days. All that time I was the guest of a French squadron who fixed my aircraft. When it was ready we flew it back home. Nobody was hurt.’’ Describing one of his latest night trips—over Norway—the flying officer said.: ~ ■> “ ‘Oslo for you,’ we were told, and at once we became busy. The captain of the aircraft detailed for the flight got to work installing flying kit and so on and seeing to it that everything was checked up before we took off. I wouldn’t say that most of us are nervy or ‘het up.’ We are certainly not. The thing you most feel —at -least that I most feel—is a sort of eager impatience to get into the air and be off. It’s the kind of feeling one has before an important game begins, only far more intense, of course. Once you’re at it you’re all right, aud the only thought in your bead is the job iu hand. “At 5 o’clock, having tucked in as much tea as we could, we trooped into the operations-room to be briefed. Being briefed means being told your target, what the job exactly is, and so forth. At. half-past six we began to dress for the.trip. We climbed into our suits —leather fur-lined jackets, leather fur-lined trousers, our flotation jackets, aud our parachute harness. Our bombs aud machine-guns were in place, and just before 7 o’clock we got into the aircraft. Crew’s Average Age 23. “My fellow-pilot ami navigator was a Canadian, aud with us were two Yorkshiremen aud a Scot —there is always a Scotsman everywhere! As a mascot we had a small Canadian flag inside the windscreen. Our average age was 23. “Th6re was a last check to make sure that our rations were aboard —six flasks of hot coffee, biscuits, nuts, raisins, chewing-gum. Then we took off. “It was a ciear. calm evening, with a layer of cloud at about 8000 feet, and up we climbed, heading for the sea. On we went, seeing nothing below us till we were about three-quarters of the way to our target. 'Then suddenly the sergeant observer told us we had reached the Skagerrak and we became all keyed up. “It was after midnight when wo struck the coast,' and. keeping out from it, we turned and followed the line, peering down at the dim fiords for signs of enemy shipping. All the towns, including Kristiansand. were lit up. There was no black-out, and the snow-covered mountains behind Oslo Fiord showed up beautifully. “'['here was a moon, and wc came down into air that we could breathe; there was no need now to use our oxygen masks. For the best part of an hour we cruised about looking for possible targets such as enemy warships. naval auxiliary vessels, or transports. The inspection was thorough, but. no ships were seen, and so. disappointedly, we bad to turn back for home.

‘‘Anyhow, we did bring back some useful information, though we missed the excitement of bombing a German warship. “It is always exciting to drop a few bombs; the upward lurch as you let go heavy fellows, the sight of them hurtling down to earth or toward their target, on the sea, the explosion, the flash of light, tlie growing tire which, looking back, you may see—these are the visible signs which enable you to go back to your base and report that you have achieved the task set you.”