SPECIAL SERVICES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 263, 6 October 1942, Page 5

SPECIAL SERVICES

NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN. (Official War Correspondent.) (11 a.m.) Western Desert, Oet. 5. The New Zealand squadron-leader in command has with him several of his countrymen in his air and sea rescue flight which undertakes the location and rescue of plane crews from the sea and land. The commander is Squadron-Leader S. W. R. Hughes, 0.8. E., who was formerly on the literary staff of the New Zealand Herald in Auckland, and a large proportion of the navigators are New Zealanders.

Skilful navigation of the longrange machines employed is the essence of their successful operations. Locating missing crews is no easy task, particularly as there is often only the vaguest knowledge of their whereabouts, and searches frequently take the rescuers into enemy ter-ritory-dangerous work in daylight for long-range planes. During the comparatively short time of its existence the flight has rescued 118 men representing 100 calls. On one occasion four men in dinghies who were rescued were found to be the crew of a German plane which had bombed the flight’s aerodrome on the previous night. During his air force experience Squadron-Leader Hughes has flown more than 20 different types of planes, one of them now being a Fairchild Amphibian, formerly the property of Mr Gar Wood, the American motor-boat racer. It was purchased by several American organisations and presented to the Air Force. The machine still contains elegant blue cushions, a washroom and many elaborate fittings. “EYES OF THE NAVY.” Several New Zealanders are engaged on reconnaissance work with a nearby squadron known as “the Eyes of the Navy.” Theirs is a specialist job requiring, among other things, a knowledge of different types of warships. They must be able to distinguish, say, a 12-inch from a 15-inch gun ship, or a 6-inch from an 8-inch, so that the Navy will known the strength of the Opposition. The squadron also reports the positions of enemy convoys in the Mediterranean.

Wearing the New Zealand peaked hat the day I visited the squadron was Sergeant T. E. Armstrong, of Akaroa, who came to the Middle East nearly two years ago and has been on reconnaissance work for about 12 months. “It pleases us when wo can get our people among those enemy convoys carrying stuff to kill our cobbers,” he said. Sergeant Armstrong has been on desert stations during the whole time he has been in the Middle East and he has carried out 65 operations and flights as a navigator. He has a brother in the New Zealand artillery here, Gunner It. W. Armstrong, and another brother, Corporal I. D. Armstrong, was killed during the present campaign.