N.Z. AIRMEN

Grey River Argus, 3 May 1944, Page 3

N.Z. AIRMEN

Doings in Europe

(Special to N.Z. Press Assn) (Rec. 6.30) LONDON, May 1. A Leigh light aircraft, in which were Air Gunner Flight-Sergeant H. J. Millis, of Gisborne, a wireless operator, and Flight-Sergeant Fred Bailey, of Blenheim, recently attacked six U-boats on two operational flights using depth charges and cannon fire. One U-boat was attacked while it surfaced to defend itself with antiaircraft fire. Millis saw debris after depth charge explosions, which brilliantly lit up the darkness. Bailey saw nothing of the attacks from his I radio and complains he |‘Joined the R.A.F. to see some action land the world,” but he sees only his (equipment, although he knows everything that goes on. The crew, ha's 'great respect for its English skipper, I Squadron Leader A. Spooner, D.F.C. (Bailey said: “Once he brought us 'back safely for nine hundred miles after a mechanical failure had developed. We had to jettison the Leigh light and depth charges, flame floats and cameras, but were still forced down to three hundred feet. As we flew in to the coast we saw air search rescue launches going out in response to our distress signal, and the first (sight which greeted us when we landed was a search plane with the engines running, waiting to take off in the event of our non appearance.” A solitary Focke-Wulf 190, which decided to take off to attack a formation of light and medium bombers of the Tactical Air Force last week, was promptly shot down by Flight Lieutenant R. Barrett, of Wellington, who was flying with a formation of Mustangs. Barrett said: “The FockeWulf, fitted with long-range tanks, looked like a reconnaissance plane. It was just taking off when I opened fire. I was flying so low that I skimmed over the top of it as I fired. It crashed and exploded.” Sup-Lieutenant J. A. Cramp (Fleet Air. Arm) of Hamilton, who won the D.S.C., when he hit an Italian cruiser with a torpedo in the Mediterranean in 1942, is now attached to a Mosquito day-and-night fighter squadron of the Air Defence of Great Britain. ■ Flight Lieutenant R. G. Lynn,, of Pukekohe, is acting as R.A.F. Liaison Officer with the Ninth United States Air Force. He is an air-gunner, and was previously stationed in Iceland for a year, flying in Hudsons and Liberators on anti-submarine patrol and also over Russian convoys. The aircraft in which he and Flying Officer F. G. Ames, of Oamaru, were members of the crew accounted for two U-boats with depth charges. Lynn now lectures Americans on signals and gunnery tactics. He is the only R.A.F. officer on the station. He has great admiration for the American airmen and says: “They are doing splendid work.”