"A PIECE OF CAKE"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 135, 10 June 1942, Page 5

"A PIECE OF CAKE"

. —■■»■■ - ■ MAORI DROPS PARATROOPS (0.C.) LONDON, March 24. A Maori who had the distijfiction of being ths first of his! race'to'bomb Germany in this war, Sergeant P. P. .!. Pohe (Taihape), was one of five New Zealanders from the same squadron,' which dropped paratroops in the BrunevaJ raid. "There was hardly anything to it," said Sergeant Pohe. "We did the job , just as anyone ejse would have done it, and I can assure you that it was the proverbial 'piece of cake.' There is riot much to say about our experiences. . "We crossed the enemy coast at 400 feet and returned at about 100 feet. We were fired at by the coastal defences and 'flak' ships, but it was nothing to panic about. Flight Lieutenant G R. Coates (Auckland) got a fairly large . hole from cannon shell through the fuselage of his plane. We got a few machine-gun bullets and. that's about s.l. • "The paratroops were a grand bunch of chaps, and although it flattered us a-■bit they stated they had plenty of confidence in us. t>o co-operauun s* well as confidence made the show the success that it was. The kudo? ana bouquets go to the paratroops and. I'll take my hat off to them any day... "Tell the people back home, that we ire all o.k. and we're .still going , strong." ' * '