RUSSIAN FIGHTER COLLIDES WITH AIRLINER OVER BERLIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 April 1948, Page 5

RUSSIAN FIGHTER COLLIDES WITH AIRLINER OVER BERLIN

14' Killed: Britain Takes “Serious View” (Recd. 10 a.m.) LONDON, April 5. A British European Airways Viking aircraft collided with a Russian fighter plane in mid-air over the Saaken airfield this afternoon and crashed near the Gatov/ airfield in the British sector. All the 14 passengers and crew were killed. The occupant of the fighter was also killed. The Viking was flying from London to Berlin, via Hamburg, and over the Hamburg-Berlin “air corridor. A British Empire Airways spokesman said: Our information is that the Russian fighter plane flew across the bow of our plane. Soldiers at Gatow said that the aircraft was coming in for landing when the collision happened. A small single-seater Russian fighter appeared to fly close to the passenger aircraft. Then their wings brushed and both planes crashed in flames. A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘‘A very serious view is taken in London of today’s air crash m Berlin. The Foreign Secretary, Mr Bevin, is in touch with General Sir Brian Robertson, who is communicating with the Russian Commander-in-Chief., Full information will be given in the House of Commons tomorrow. General Robertson announced that the British would use fighter escorts until the Russians guaranteed freedom of the air corridor. General Robertson has gone to Potsdam to confer with the Russian Commander, Marshal Sokolovsky.

A Soviet light tank is reported to have crossed the British-Soviet zonal border at Hoiersdorf, near Schoningen, early this morning, says Reuter’s Brunswick correspondent. The tank’s crew, who were armed with guns and pistols, awoke a Hoiersdorf inhabitant and inquired about the movements of British troops and the positions of the British observation posts. The tank later withdrew. The Rusisans in Gehrendorf, near Obisfelde, are reported to have dug trenches and placed machine-guns in them, cut down trees within the guns’ firing zone and destroyed a bridge over the river Aller. Note Sent to Russians Major-General Neville Brown, the British Deputy Military Governor, in a Note to the Russians suggested talks on. a four-power basis to save time. If the Russians agree the meeting will be the first four-Power meeting on the control level since the Russians walked out of the Control Council on March 20. Field-Marshal Viscount Montgomery arrived at 8.0.A.R. headquarters and addressed senior officers. The subject of his address is not disclosed. Mr Arthur Henderson, British Air Secretary, who is inspecting Royal Air Force installations m Germany, has also arrived in Berlin. He lunched with General Robertson at

his Berlin residence. Also present were Frau Louise Schroeder, (acting Lord Mayor of Berlin), Mr Jacob Kaiser (Christian Democrat, whom the Russians deposed from the zonal leadership of his party), Mr Carl Schwennicke (leader for the Western Liberal Democrats in Berlin), and professor Ernest Reuter (Social Democratic, and chief of Berlin’s communications) . Protest Lodged General Robertson lodged a protest personally with Marshal Sokolovsky regarding the collision between the British and Soviet planes. A British spokesman said General Robertson had been in close touch wtih Mr Bevin and the Foreign Office had been kept fully informed. General Robertson issued an order that British fighters should escort British planes just before he left by car to see Marshal Sokolovsky. The order would operate until Marshal Sokolovsky gave assurances against any further circling of British planes by Russian fighters. The United States military commander, General- Clay, announced that United States fighters would escort planes from tomorrow unless the British received a satisfactory explanation from the Russians. The French military authorities made a similar announcement.