FIGHTER SQUADRON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 27 September 1944, Page 5

FIGHTER SQUADRON

NELSONIAN IN COMMAND LEADER’S INTERESTING CAREER Belgium, Sept. 26. A famous squadron which was commanded in the last war by Group Captain K. L. Caldwell and earlier in this war was led by Group Captain A. G. Malan, the fighter ace, is now commanded by Squadron Leader J. C. F. Hryter. D.FC., Nelson. Nearly half of its pilots are New Zealanders at the moment. Malan is the wing’s commanding officer, and his wing leader in charge of the oPe r *d*ons is Wing Commander W. V. C. Compton, D. 5.0., Mission Bay. The New Zealanders in the squadron, flying Spitfires, are Flight Lieutenants F. Hardman, J. L. Shanahan and C. U. M. Davis, Auckland, B. Tapley. Dunedin, Flying Officer W. W. Peet, Dannevirke, Warrant Officers J. Church, I. W. Butler. N. Carter and D. 5 L. Johnston, Auckland, and J. Eyre, Ngaruawahia. 5 Squadron Leader Hayter took command of the squadron 18 months ago in ' the Middle East, but his New Zealanders joined it fairly recently, and have operated with the squadron since it landed in Normandy nearly five weeks ago. They took part in the actions when the Germans were wiped out at Falaise, l the Seine ar.d Rouen, and latterly have been bombing German positions at i Boulogne and Dunkirk and barges s evacuating German troops over the - Schelde. They also took part in the s bombing of Le Havre, where leaflets s were sent down with the bombs. They i have frequei.tly been doing three at- - tacks daily. i Wing Commander Compton, who be- - gan his career as a flight sergeant in the New Zealand Spitfire Squadron, flies at s least one sortie a day in addition to his ■ administrative duties, and has now done ■ 440 sorties or about 800 operational 1 hours on Spitfires. His score of Germap ! planes destroyed is 21$. ■} IN MANY OPERATIONS Hayter has had an unusually interesting career. He received a short service commission in 1939 and flew Fairey Battles during the battle of France, in 1940, when he shot down a Henfechel 126. He shot down four enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain, 1 i?hile flying Hurricanes, and accountec for three Me 109’s during sweeps, be- - fore going to the Western Dese t in s March, 1942. There he command ;d a s squadron of Hurricane bombers sti afing * enemy transport during the retre it to * El Alamein. Next he went to Ti rkey s instructing the Turks in the u< e of Hurricanes and Kittyhawks for five r months. When he took over comi land of his squadron he had to collect half s of it at Abadan and the other hi If at e Shaiba. The ~quadron then mov« d to 1 ‘ Daba, Egypt, from where it ca -ried out several attacks on Crete befor bev _ ing re-equipped with Spitfires and sent " to the island of Cos. Fayter’s escape from Cos when i fell t to the Germans is a story in itse f. A German missed him at a range f 20 yards while he was telephoning. H lyter wrecked the telephone, then with hree other members of the squadron ra i for the hills, with the Germans ch ising them. They roamed the hills for hree s or four days and bitterly coHßßghts, living off the land, killing t sheep. Then they linked up ten j special boat service and r found a caique in which they Bid to Cyprus, where the squadron ree formed and did several offensive sweeps h over Rhodes. s TALLY OF 200 PLANES s o Soon after the squadron returned t« e England it joined Compton’s wing. Durg ing this war the squadron has shot - down over 200 enemy aircraft, fully livg ing up to the tradition of the last war s when by Group Captain CaldwelL s Hayter’s personal score is nine. d Of the other New Zealanders in the n squadron, Peet is now on his second tour. He shot down a Focke Wulf 190 0 during his first tour, damaged another, . ard shared a Dornier 217. Hardman and ' Davis were instructing together in Canada for 18 months, Eyre was formerly in a New Zealand Spitfire squadron, and Carter and Church did their first tour in the Middle East. Shanahan has just joined the squadron after a period as an instructor in England.—P.A. . Special Correspondent. r ———— —