JUNGLE ORDEAL

Evening Star, Issue 25068, 8 January 1944, Page 6

JUNGLE ORDEAL

NEW ZEALAND WARHAWK PILOT PARACHUTE DESCENT OK BOUGAINVILLE (N.Z.E.F. Official News Service.) 'Rec. 9' a.m.) NEW GEORGIA, January 3. Forced to bale out oyer Japanese-held territory on Bougainville Island, a New Zealand Warhawk pilot, Plight-sergeant D. K. Mulligan, waded through swamp and jungle, spent a sleepless night crouched at the base of a tree drenched to the skin, and next day struggled to the coast, where Allied aircraft and a crash boat co-operated in bringing him to safety. Apart from exhaustion, he suffered no ill effects from his ordeal. As he came down, the canopy of his parachute caught in a tree. He found himself hanging by the shroud lines 25 feet from the ground. He gained a foothold on the tree and released the parachute harness, but' he was. unable to drag in the canopy, which he intended to use as protection against mosquitoes. Vines from the tree hung in all directions. He slid down them and dropped the last few feet into swamp water waist deep. As the tree afforded some foothold, he had time in which to collect himself. Above him. through the trees, he saw four New Zealand aircraft circling. He waded 10 yards to a clearer patch, climbed a tan'o-le of sloping vines, and Hashed a mirror to attract attention. Violent wing waving assured him that he had been seen. ~.',. ± Then he returned to the tree to check his equipment and to plan' his next move. Realising there was a Japanese road not far inland, he decided to make for the coast, but whether this lay on either side of him or ahead he did' not know, but he tesolved to take a chance. After resting, he slung his jungle pack on his back and his dinghy round his neck and set a course by his compass, hoping to be clear or the swamp before nightfall. • lhe going was very hard, and he had to wade almost up to his waist through swamn arowth entangled with creeper and, p 'li'rino- rapidly after 100 yards of this Flight-sergeant Mulligan. Avas' toreeci to discard the dinghy. He soon found he was unable to stay on his course, as at each step he slid into slime up to his armpits. He struggled to a firmer piece of. ground to rest While there, bv waving a dinghy sail, he attracted the attention of an ■ Alhe> plane, which dropped a white bund.e. It landed only GO yards away, but in the verv direction he had been unable to maintain, and he could do nothing * The growth thickened as he went on. and he had to work entirely on his comnass. He had to check his course about every 40 paces. Almost at dark he came to comparatively dry o-round at the foot of a tree, where he stopped for the night. Mosquitoes were thick and it rained heavi.y. As soon as the first light of dawn broke he packed his kit and set off on his original course. The swamp conditions improved slightly after about an hour, and travelling became easier. He kept on at a steady pace, resting often, as his shoulders ached badly. About 9 a.m. he heard the noise of surf in the distance. Afraid of possible enemy positions, he moved cautiously, but bis fears proved unfounded, and after crossing a sluggish . river he came nut on the beach. AIRCRAFT TO THE RESCUE.

Twenty minutes later the lorie New Zealander saw an Allied aircraft cruising slowly down the coast. He caught it with a mirror signal. The plain* waved its wings, gently circled, and headed straight back. " 1 was rather excited, guessing this was the first step to being picked up," said Flight-sergeant Mulligan. " Time dragged until the aircraft returned with an escort of four fighters. A dinghy was dropped at the, water's edge, with instructions to row out to sea as far as possible. " 1 wasted, no time inflating the dinghy, threw in my equipment, and started out to sea. The excitement of the last few events put aside all feelings c-f exhaustion, and I was able to make good progress. I felt even more secure when the fighter escort strafed the beach to prevent possible enemy interference." When he was about two miles out a Cataiina flying boat circled, dropped smoke floats, and continued its course, but help was now close at hand. Shortly afterwards a crash boat speeded to the scene and picked up the airman, who was carried to the safety of an Allied air base without further incident.

Flight-sergeant Mulligan's home is Treaty House, Waita.ngi, where his father, Mr A, W. Mulligan, supervises the Waitangi estate. *.