Air Strafing Over Malta

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 50, 1 March 1943, Page 5

Air Strafing Over Malta

Exciting Adventures Of New Zealand Pilot (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) Received Sunday, 10 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 27. Five Axis ships were torpedoed by Sub-Lieut. Colin White, of the Fleet Air Arm, formerly of Cheviot, during seven months at Malta. no flew Hurricane uombers in tho daytime, Albacores at night time and also Spitfires and Swordfisu. He has straied a German aerodrome in Sicily, shot up railways and Susa, and patrolled over Bona. Sub-Lieut. E. !•’. Pratt, of Christchurch, who was killed on January 17th, Hew with White several times. Pratt hit two ships, Sub-Lieut. White said: “In our first operation over Sicily, Pratt and I were flying four-cannon Hurricane bombers, accompanied by an escort of twenty Spitfires. We bombed the runways and then shot up about fifty Germans, who were parading. These went down like ninepins. The first ship I attacked was at Spartovento. It was a 6000 tonner which had been previously torpedoed aud we were sent in to finish it. I hit it with a

“fish” after which it was bombed. Pratt was with me when we went out to find three Italian cruisers. They were of the 7000-ton Condoterri class. I was tho first to attack and saw the torpedo explode with a great flash and column of water amidships. It continued on its course aud wo were never quite sure what became of it. Pratt also hit another with a torpedo. We met intense flak which started to come up after my attack. He returned with tfie plane pretty badly damaged. “Our next attack was by moonlight against a heavily escorted convoy going to Tunis. We met heavy flak. Just as I was about to drop a torpedo at a 7000-ton motor vessel, a large destroyer of about 2000-tons came to the front of it. The result was tho 1 ‘ fish ’ ’ hit the destroyer which blew up and completely disappeared. It was an amazing sight. “A few days later, I found a 4uoUton ammunition ship off l’antellario. 1 was flying at about 300 feet when the torpedo struck. There was a terrific explosion which flung my aircraft up to 700 feet and my head went right through the perspec hood. I have never seen anything liKe that explosion which sent a column of smoke to 6000 feet. My last attack was against a motor vessel of about 3000-tons off Maretinio. £ tired the torpedo from 600 yards and saw a flash aft of the ship and a column of water. Later I flew over it and saw it apparently sinking by the nose. Those last three attacks were all made within ten days. “Once when returning from Bona after long-range patrol, 1 was attacked by a Ju. 99. We had a bit of a light and I saw my cannon-shells striking its tail after which it sheered off and was later shot down by two Beaufighters. We made several flights to Susa and Sfax. One morning 1 clew up a railway engine in a roundhouse at Sfax and then silenced a gun-post. “Pratt sank a 10,000-ton tauter off Maretinio. He did a great deal of night intruder work over Sicily. I understand he was flying a Spitfire when he crashed into the sea. He was one of the best chaps and did great work.” Sub-Lieut. White observed that Malta’s airpower was now considerable. “We have got Axis convoys between Marotimo and Tunis pretty well taped, although the Germans are using many night lighters in that area,” he said. White saw a good deal of Air Marshal Keith Park, Dunedin, who used a Hurricane for flying himself. “Prati and I used to maintain the service of it for him. He is a great leader and all the boys liked the way he used to come to the dispersal huts aud chat with them. ’ ’

White said ho had often flown over the ivasserine Pass. He is now on leave in London. One of the new arrivals at Malta when he left was Sub-Lieut. Owen Richards, of Christchurch. Pilot-Officers J. F. P. Yeatman, of Wellington, and J. E. Mortimer, Auckland, have also recently returned from Malta where they flew Spitfires. Mortimer shot down a flying-boat and Me. 109. Yeatman, who was formerly in the New Zealand Spitfire squadron, probably destroyed a Ju. 99 and Me. 109. Sub-Lieut. D. J. Nairn, of Wellington, flew Grumman Martlets in the Mediterranean area. He is now in London before going to America as a test pilot.

Captured by Jap Plane

(Special Australian Correspondent.) SYDNEY, Feb. 27.

A Japanese float-plane, which recently sank a small wooden naval ship near ess-el Island, off the north-east tip of Arnheim Land, subsequently alighted on the water and “kidnapped” a surviving Allied seaman. He is the first prisoner taken by the Japunese in Australian waters.

Gliding out of the sun with its engines shut off, the plane took the ship completely by surprise, bombs striking before the crew had time to reach action stations. The ship sank in a minute and the aircraft then dropped another bomb among the sailors in the water.

For half an hour the men were machine-gunned. Several were killed and others wounded. The piano then alighted and the pilot called to one of the remaining seamen to swim to the aircraft. He was put in the middle cockpit with the navigator and the plane flew north. Other men in the water took 14 hours to reach the shore, five miles away. The captain, with two natives, walked 35 miles barefooted in two days seeking assistance. The rest of tho party were rescued a week later.