Clipped Parachute On As Fell Through Space

Northern Advocate, 15 August 1942, Page 3

Clipped Parachute On As Fell Through Space

(Received 2 p.m.) (8.C.W.) RUGBY, August 14 With amazing coolness and presence of mind the captain of a bomber which was blown to pieces during the 1000 bomber raid on Cologne on the night of May 30 clipped his parachute onto his harness after he was thrown out of a wrecked machine.

“We set alight to the B.E. fighters. I gave the word to jump and reduced speel to make this easier,’.’ commented the airman, who is now' a prisoner of war.

“The' second pilot handed me my parachute. At the same moment another attack carried away part of the main-plane. We turned upside down and started spinning. I tried to stop the spin as none of us could move, but could not get at the rudders and was about passing out with smoke. Also we were getting cooked. Difficult Feat “Suddenly there was a ‘hell of a crash’ and I found myself alone in space with my parachute in my hand and I clipped on—a difficult and alarming experience—and it opened at what seemed more than tree height and I landed very heavily, the ,sky raining bits of aeroplane which must have come to pieces as we were all flung out like this, except, the tail gunner”. The wireless operator also escaped and was taken prisoner but the rest of the crew were killed. In bombers, crews wear harness but not a parachute, which is clipped on when the order is given to bale out