N.Z. Spitfires In Action Over France

Northern Advocate, 24 August 1943, Page 3

N.Z. Spitfires In Action Over France

!(Rcc. 1.30 p.m.i LONDON, Aug. 25. i A New Zealand Spitfire squadron met,; !a large concentration of Focke-Wulfo 190 s | ; while escorting U.S.A.A.F. medium] ] bombers attacking rhe Beaumont io ;Roger airfield on August. 22. The Focke-j iWulfes made head-cn for the New Zea-‘ I landers bin Fighting French above swung! |down behind ihe Germans, shooting down: I two. The Polish wing shot down three | j more and a Canadian squadron-leader got] ;cne. The New Zealanders suffered some ! losses. I Pilot-Officer J. B. Small (Lower Hu‘t i I has completed a tour in Lancasters. He ibombed Essen four times and also went !lo Wilhelmshavcn, Hamburg. Stuttgart land Stettin. His aircraft was badly hit j'by flak over Wuppertal while incon- ! diaries from aircraft went through his iport wing, smashing Uie outer petrol Hank. As a result he landed with only !a few gallons to spare. He was attacked by night-fighters twice. He had three , inchc-s of ice form on his windscreen dur- ■ ing one Essen raid, while once when landing at base he saw bombs and flares from ] German aircraft attacking a target a few miles away. Sergeant W. M. Gordon (Christchurch). who hs flown 271 operational hours and i trained in number one course in the Emjpire air-training scheme, went five times I I o Essen and Bremen. Once a piece of ; shrapnel hit his parachute harness. It ; struck a buckle which saved his life.