A GOOD SCORE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21261, 25 November 1943, Page 4

A GOOD SCORE

PLANES, TRAINS, SHIP DOMINION AIRMAN NIGHT FLYING”OVER ITALY (Special Correspondent.) LONDON, Nov. 22. Three German aircraft destroyed, two probably destroyed, three damaged on a lake, a mine-sweeper sunk, and ammunition and petrol trains blown up was the score of SquadronLeader Paul Rabone, Palmerston North, while flying a Mosquito nightfighter on 40 operations over Sicily and Italy. He has. noiy returned to England. Squadron-Leader Rabone, who went to France the day before the war broke out with a squadron of Fairey battles, and later shot down four Germans towards the end of the Battle of Britain, flew his Mosquito to Malta from Britain in eight hours. His best night over Italy was when Mussolini capitulated. He found a Junkers 88 about to land at Grossetto, 150 miles north of Rome,- and shot it down on the edge of the aerodrome. Squadron-Leader Rabone then flew away for half an hour and when he returned he found two Heinkels crossing the aerodrome at 500 ft. He attacked one and the anti-aircraft batteries opened fire on them both. Squadron Leader Rabone broke away to starboard and the Heinkel to port, but the anti-aircraft continued to fire at the Heinkel and shot it down right on the aerodrome. He was only allowed to claim a probable for the one shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Record Night Flight

On another occasion SquadronLeader Rabone carried out a record long-distance night intruder flight when he flew to Grossetto from Malta, a distance of 1300 miles for the round trip. He stayed there for two hours and had flown some 1900 miles by the time he returned to his base. That night he saw German aircraft taxiing across the aerodrome, but they discreetly turned off the landing lights and returned the aircraft to the dispersal area when they heard him overhead. On the return flight Squadron-Leader Rabone sighted in the bright moonlight three seaplanes on Lake Bracciano and shot them up.

One night when over Sibari he saw two small lights at the railway station and he dropped two 2501 b. bombs, following which there was a terrific explosion. Reconnaissance aircraft next day reported that SquadronLeader Rabone must have hit ammunition and petrol trains which _ had been drawn up at the station siding. When returning to the base the same night Squadron-Leader R'abone sighted a mine-sweeper and attacked it with cannon. It blew up and sank.

Although he was a night-fighter, Squadron-Leader Rabone also shot down a Junkers 88 in the daytime. This was when he was returning from Palermo after taking spares for a Mosquito which had been forced down there. He saw the Junkers flying low searching for shipping, and before the Junkers knew what had happened it was going down in flames. On various other times, SquadronLeader Rabone, who sometimes was based on Sicily and Italy, shot up shipping convoys, trains and German quarters. Before going to the Mediterranean, Squadron-Leader Rabone was a flight commander in the New Zealand Beaufighter Squadron. He was so keen to get to Malta that he sacrificed a stripe and became a flight lieutenant, but he soon regained the rank of squadron leader when he arrived at Malta.