BRILLIANT ACTION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 17 February 1942, Page 5

BRILLIANT ACTION

NEW ZEALAND FIGHTER SQUADRON ATTACK ON WARSHIPS’ ESCORT “A GRAND JOB FOR BRITAIN” | (Rec. 9.30 a.m.) London, Feb 16. ! New Zealand may well be I proud of the New Zealand Fighter Squadron. Led by SquadronLeader E. P. Wells,' D.F.C. and Bar, formerly of Cambridge, the Squadron shot down four Germans, damaged two, shot up and probably sank an E-boat when providing an escort for bombers attacking the Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, and Prince Eugen, near Ostend. Flight Lieutenants W. V. C. Compton and G. Francis both of Auckland, and Pilot Officer R. Grant, D.F.M., of Woodville, each shot down one German. Pilot J Officers D. Clouston and H. Sweet man both of Auckland shared another. Flight Lieutenant Compton and Sergeant J. D. Rae of Auckland probably shot down two more, while Squadron Leader : Wells and Pilot Officer J. M. Checketts of Invercargill, Sergeants W. M. Krebbs of Hawkes Bay and T. Goodlett, of Dunedin, pumped an E-boat full of cannon shells and bullets. The squadron Hew at 5000 feet over the channel above a cloudbank then dropped through a hole of clouds near Ostend. Squadron Leader Wells saw four Messerschmitts 109 a thousand feet below and told Flight Lieutenant Compton to attack. Flight Lieutenant Compton and Pilot Officers Sweetman, Clouston and E. E. Mackie of Waihi diveturned and swept down on the enemy. A melee followed. Flight Lieutenant Compton blew off a wingtip from one Meserschmilt but did not have time to see the result. The Germans flew in over the Dutch coast hoping that the New Zealanders would follow and so allow anti-aircraft batteries to shoot them down. The flight at 200 feet over Holland wheeled rapidly from the land with llak and flaming onions spouting toI wards them. They reformed over the sea, saw six Messerschmitts approaching and immediately attacked. The Germans tried to draw them in over the coast but the very wary New Zealanders were not biting. They reformed after chasing the Germans and prepared to meet fresh attackers. Flight Lieutenant Compton suddenly heard Pilot Officer Sweetman shouting “Look out Bill, one over your tail!” Compton diveturned and escaped after which he saw a Messerschmitt spin into the sea. Both Pilot Officers Sweetman and Clouston fired at the plane but they had no time to see the results for which they were credited half each. Meanwhile Flight Lieutenant Compton fastened onto the toil of another Messerschmitt, fired three long bursts and saw it crash on the beach five miles west of Ostend. Although their ammunition was now exhausted the quartette's experiences were not ended. Flight Lieutenant Compton and Pilot Officers Clouston and Mackie, flying together, heard Pilot Officer Sweetman calling over the radio phone. Looking round they saw him leading what appeared to be a flight of Germans except that they were shooting at him. Although without ammunition they swept around on the Germans who immediately made off. When Flight Lieutenant Compton’s flight turned away the remainder of the squadron flew on and suddenly arrived over the German battleships which were sandwiched between destroyer screens with E-boats screening the detroyers. All the ships were steaming very fast, leaving giant creaming wakes. The convoy's width from E-boat screen to E-boat screen was probably five miles. Squadron Leader Wells detailed Flight Lieutenant Francis to lead his flight down the lane between the Belgian coast and the battleships while Squadron Leader Wells led his own flight on the other side of the battleships, between them and the other line of destroyers. Flight Lieutenant Francis with Pilot Officer Grant and Sergeants Rae and J. Liken of Hawkes Bay sighted four Messerschmitts flying in pairs. They chased them but the Germans dashed off over the top of the battleships. The four New Zealanders suddenly found about 30 German aircraft round them. Flight Lieutenant Francis sighted a Focke Wulfe 109, gave it a ten-second burst and saw it crash into the sea. Meanwhile Pilot Officer Grant and Sergeant Rae saw a pair of Germans below. They began to dive when Pilot Officer Grant saw a third German wheeling into position on his tail, but Pilot Officer Grant turned sharply, got on the German’s tail, closed in and gave him a six-second burst after which the German crashed into the sea. Sergeant Rae continued to dive after the pair originally sighted and saw pieces from the tail of one scattering before it broke off the action. Flight Lieutenant Francis’s flight ran out of ammunition and returned to England unharmed. Meanwhile Squadron Leader Wells’ flight flew down the lane between the battleships and destroyers, seeking the Messerschmitts but without success, so they turned and followed up the battleships waiting hopefully until petrol became short. Squadron Leader Wells therefore decided to use up his ammunition against E-boats. His flight peeled off and swept down on the last E-boat. They saw cannon shells and bullets smashing it up. Very heavy flak greeted the flight temporarily obscuring Squadron Leader Wells’ machine from Pilot Officer Checkett’s sight. Having spent its ammunition the flight returned home. Subsequently national newspapers published the squadron’s photographs with the caption, “Whatever questions may be asked these men did a grand job for Britain.”—P.A. DOCKS AND SUPPLY SHIPS ATTACKED (Rec 9.45 a.m.) Rugby, Feb. 16. j The Bomber Command last night attacked the docks at St. Nazaire. The I Coastal Command yesterday bombed an j enemy supply ship off the Norwegian ' coast No aircraft arc missing from j these operations The crew of the bomber reported missing after the attack on Mannheim on Saturday night has been rescued from the sea. An enemy bomber was destroyed off the south-west coast of England this : morning —B OW,