SWEEPS OVER FRANCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 6 August 1941, Page 8

SWEEPS OVER FRANCE

NEW ZEALAND FIGHTERS SOME EXCITING INC IDENTS London, July 15. : j The New Zealand Fighter Squadron |ltas now shot down three German air'l craft. A fourth has not yet been eon|Armed. Recently the New Zealanders I were transferred from the north of 1 England and, flying Spit Ares. they have since been taking part in the daylight sweeps over France, acting as a low cover escort to bombing aircraft. Squadron-Leader M. W. B. Knight (Dannevirke) shot down the first Nazi for the squadron before it was transferred. Flight-Lieutenant E. P. Wells (Cambridge) got the second and a probable third over France in one flight, and Pilot-Officer C. Stewart (Wellington i sent another into the Channel. Flight-Lieutenant Wells, who is a j former clay pigeon shooting champion nf New Zealand and whose nickname !is "Hawkeye,” shot down his fourth j Nazi when bombers were being esI corted on a Lille raid. He had accounted for three Huns before joining j the New Zealand squadron, j "I saw an Me. 109 making a fainthearted pass at the bombers below us so I dropped down to have a squirt at him,” Flight-Lieutenant Wells said, j "He went into a vertical dive and I | put in a burst, I could not follow him down as I had to keep up with the j bombers, so I did not see what became of him. Some other chaps saw a Jerry |go down in that locality about the same time and said a pilot baled out. We claimed it as a probable, but so far it has not been confirmed. "I started to catch up with the squadj ron again and I saw a couple of Me. 109’s nosing about on our tail ! hoping for a straggler. I managed to get one all right and he went down in flames. There was no doubt about that j chap.” STRAIGHT INTO THE SEA j Pilot-Officer Stewart opened his score with the squadron when he was patI rolling over the Channel with three other Spitfires. He saw three fighters approaching them, and turned to investigate. "They were flying toward me and at j first I thought they were Spits,” he ,said. "They had duck-egg blue spinners the same as our machines. Just as they were about to pass under me I 'saw the crosses on the wings. They ;were Me. 109’s. I did a starboard turn 'and gave one a squirt at about 100 j yards. j "He went into a dive and I followed .him down, giving him a couple more I bursts. We were getting near the sea Iso I pulled out. It was a bit hazy and II came out only just in time as I got .down to within 30 feet of the water. | The Jerry didn't slop. He went straight I into it, and I saw a great burst of ! The squadron has escorted bombers 1 I to Bethune and others of the targets raided during the recent daylight offenEX ACTING AND TIRING WORK : "The bomber boys are pretty good ■ shots,” said Squadron-Leader Knight. "The other day we escorted them to an [aircraft factory, where the Germans were working. The bombs dropped smack on the target. They won’t repair anything more at that place.” Flying is exacting work for the tighter ! pilots. They are kept keyed up at a | high pitch of tension. Their job as a 1 low escort cover is to fly above the I bombers. They act as a second line of I defence. Above them is a high escort j which gets most of the fighting t 0 do. ! Continually weaving, the low escort) must be ready at a second’s notice to ! ward off the German fighters. Their eyes are as restless as their rolling and; dipping Spitfires. It is tiring flying and j one of the pilots has actually been airsick on several occasions. COMFORTABLE COUNTRY QUARTERS The New Zealand squadron is quar- 1 tered in a comfortable country man- j sion near the station. There is a tennis court and a picturesque garden. At present one of the pilots’ favourite re- j creations is swimming in a pool some j four miles away. Their hut on the i station is typical of all R.A.F. fighter I stations. There are bunks, and posters 1 showing Nazi aircraft types or cm- 1 phasising flying “do’s” and "dont’s.” There is a wireless set, a shove halfpenny board, and the paraphernalia of flying gear. There are comfortable armchairs. which are appreciated when the squadron is at readiness and waiting to take ofT at a few minutes’ notice. A map of England and northern France has red and blue spotches, red for enemy anti-aircraft batteries, blue for enemy fighter aerodromes. Recent newcomers to the squadron are Pilot-Officer R. W. Baker (Dunedin!; and Sergeants J. D. Rae, L. M. Ralph and C. V. S. Goodwin (Auckland'. K. C. M. Miller <Te Awamutu) j and I. J. McNeil (Tikitiki). Sergeant W. N. Hendry did not return from one sweep. He was seen fly-, ing over the Channel near France, but he did not reach the station and he has been posted as missing.