N.Z. Airman's Eventful Career

Northern Advocate, 24 July 1943, Page 4

N.Z. Airman's Eventful Career

(Rcc. I.BG p.m.) LONDON, July 23. Among the many Now Zealanders taking part in the battle of the Ruhr is Flying-Officer J. L. Blair (Chch.) whose navigator is Pilot-Officer C. K.' McLean (Auckland), boih of whom have now finished a tour of operations in Stirlings. L lying-Officer Blair’s last 12 raids were •11 on the Ruhr. He once carried out coven operations in 12 nights. Under his left lapel ho wears a catei - pillar, indicating that he used a parachute to save his life. This occurred at the end of a. mine-laying trip in (he Bay fif Biscay. Over the Bay one motor •.topped and while returning over France the Stirling ran into electrical storms, ivhich put the compass out of action. Flying-Officer Blair later discovered that lie was flying over the North Sea when • lie should have been over the west of England. He altered his course, and arrived over England, when another motor rut out. Visibility was nil. and the cloud base 300 feet, so ho took the Stirling up to CiOfiO foot, all the crew parachuting lately. Fiying-Officcr Blair landed in a small i;t raw-filled courtyard. Pilot-Officer McLean was not with him on this t rip. His Worst Raid Flying-Officer Blair’s worst raid was on Mulheim, to reach which he had to fly over Essen, Oberhausen and Duisburg, all of which were strongly defended. Flying-Officer Blair’s .Stirling was coned by searchlights five minutes before bombing. and when he returned he counted 60 flak holes. Raid On Berlin Flying-Officer Blair raided Berlin twice In three nights. The first occasion was on his 24th birthday. On one of these raids two Messerschmitt 109 s attacked, coming in to 100 yards, but after a burst from mid-upper and rear gunners they disappeared. On his third trip as captain, his crew r.hot down a Junkers 88. The Stirling was on the way to Munich when four of the crew sighted a Junkers simultaneously at 200 yards' range, coming In from the port quarter. The gunners got. in two bursts and the Junkers went down in flames. In St. Nazaire Raid Flying-Officer Blair also raided St. Nazaire and Nuremberg and went to Cologne three times. Flight-Lieutenant Lloyd Butler. (Dunedin) and Flying-Officer IT. Shield (Wellington) are captain and navigator respectively of another Stirling in FlyingOfficer Blair's squadron. Fit.-Lieut. Butler was obliged to feather one of his four engines no fewer titan nine times during raids.