DROWNED IN CHANNEL

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 250, 20 July 1942, Page 6

DROWNED IN CHANNEL

Wing Commander Finucane LONDON, July IT. A “million to one chance” shot from a German machinegun on the beach near Point Du Touquet killed Wing Commander Finucane, who bad 32 planes to his credit. He held the Distinguished Service Order and the triple Distinguished Flying Cross. Finucane was leading his wing during the largest mass attack of fighters so far carried out against targets in France. He flew low over a machinegun post when the gunner got in a lucky shot which lienetrated tile Spitfire’s radiator. Finucane, after attacking the target, turned for home. He was too low to hale out and the engine was firing too slowlv for the plane to regain height. Finucane tried a crash-landing in the sea. but instead of the Spitfire staying afloat for a few seconds, the plane sank like a stone, carrying Finucane with it. The crash must have knocked him senseless, because his comrades circled over the sea for a long time afterward ami all they saw was a slowly widening streak of oil on the Channel waters.

The station commander listening in to radio-telephone - conversations 'ltetween the Spitfire pilots said: “Paddy did not know he was hit till his number two called to him to tell him. Finucane went on to attack his target. Soon afterward, Paddy said his engine's temperature was going up and that he was coming out of France. He <•0111 inued to talk calmly over the radio <•01111114 home. His lust message probably as the engine stopped—was 'This is it, chaps.’ ” Death Avenged.

Fin 11 cane's number two was a Canadian, Pilot Officer F. A. Aikman, who avenged his wing commander by attacking the machinegun post which hit Paddy’s aircraft. “I saw a small .machinegun post perched about 20ft. ■above the beach on a ridge,” he said. ‘‘lt was not an orthodox German gunpost, but just one machinegun on a tripod with two soldiers to it. There was no emplacement and no sandbags. We were almost on the 'post before •Paddy realized it was there. The two soldiers opened up at point-blank range and the first burst penetrated Paddy’s starboard wing and radiator. 1 was flying behind and to the right of Finucane. I took a crack and, when the dust settled down, there was nothing ■to be seen on the sand. I guessed my fire blew the post to pieces. Paddy did not know he had been hit till J radioed him. J followed him out and saw him open his sliding hood and, just before he crashed, eaw him take off his helmet. He was doing something else, probably releasing his parachute harness. I called him up again, and told him I was going to climb in order to be able to fix his position when he crashed. He was obviously unhurt, and replied ‘Get as high as possible.’ “He was flying about ten feet above the sea just before crashing. His plane hit the sea tail first. He had obviously intended to ditch it. We were then about ten miles from the French t oast. I think he tried to put as much distance as possible between himself ami the Hun, so as to have a better chance of .being rescued by our boats. 1 imagine what happened was that as tlic Spitfire hit the sea, he was rolled forward in the cockpit and knocked unconscious. I circled at about 5000 ft. watching the spot, but he did not come up. All I saw was a streak of oil on top of the water. ‘‘The whole thing was a miserable piece of bad luck. It was a shot in a million that hit the radiator. Paddy was not beaten by the Luftwaffe. It was a ground shot that got him.”