Luftwaffe Undoubtedly Has Useful Forces

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 125, 30 May 1944, Page 5

Luftwaffe Undoubtedly Has Useful Forces

NEW ZEALANDERS’ IMPRESSIONS OF ENEMY AIR STRENGTH (Special Correspondent.) Received Monday, 9.15 p.m. LONDON, May 29. New Zealanders in a squadron flying Mitchells have been switched from attacking radio-controlled rocket installations and are now bombing marshalling yards and enemy aerodromes. They aIJ comment on the ferocity of the German flak defences and while they seldom see German fighters they are certain that if it were not for our own fighter escorts it would not be long before they would be bait for Messerschmitts. Their impression is that the Luftwaffe undoubtedly has useful forces oi fighters—recently one formation of 100 was reported—and uses them with dis cretion. They state that when FockeWulfs and Messerschmitts do appear these days they make only one attack and that when they go past in a steep dive.

The Germans are very cunning in attempting to get the bomber pilots befuddled. For instance, they use sometimes tho same radio telephone wavelength and talk to themselves in Eng lisii hoping that R.A.F. pilots will be misled into thinking that they are actually English.

After talking to one another for a time the Germans will tell the bombers

to fly to the left or right to avoid flalv in the hope that the R.A.F. planes will fly right over the flak defences. The Germans also listen for members of the R.A.F. asking for bearings ana will give them a course which takes them back over enemy territory ana heavy defences, hut the Allied airmen are wide awake to these tricks and pay no attention. Two Auckland brothers in the same squadron are Flying Officer C. F. EL Mansfield and Flight-Sergeant A A Mansfield who have now carried out 34 and 37 operations respectively. They were in different aircraft in the raid against Ijmuiden recently when the former returned with 70 holes in his aircraft and the latter had one motor knocked out and had to fly through a balloon barrage before making a forceo landing. Flight-Sergeant M. J. Coridi oi Christchurch, has now completed 43 operations and Flight-Sergeant D. G. Buraess, of W aimate, 31.