"THESE FEW"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23839, 14 December 1940, Page 7 (Supplement)

"THESE FEW"

w HAT kind of men are they of whom the Prime Minister of Britain said that "never in the history of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few"? Sometimes we see their portraits in the newspapers, or hear their voices over the wireless as modestly and hesitantly they tell their tale, but of what stuff are they made, these quiet young men? Something can be made out from the qualifications they have to show. Their physical examination must prove them sound of heart and lung and nervous system, with no defect or infirmity. Their eyesight must be good and special attention has to be paid to their ears, because the sounds of the engines, the gunfire, and the quick diving and turning and recovery of a 'plane are very trying. Airmen are divided into three physical classes: the lean and wiry, some of whom are superlative attackers; the athletic, from whom the best airmen are expected to develop; and the

Gallant Air

sturdy and beefy, whose reactions are slower than those of the others. The best fliers of the Spitfires and Hurricanes are aggressive and daring to recklessness. The best bombers coming from the sturdy class are deliberate, cool, and calm. The best ages are between 20 and 30. An amazing story of the skill and resourcefulness of a British fighter pilot was lately reported from London. The artist's impression which accompanies this article shows the incident when a Hurricane pilot chased a Mosscrschmitt out to sea. and finding his ammunition exhausted, and determined not, to be done out of his "kill," manouervered his aeroplane so that the wing-tip touched the enemy's tail unit. My rocking his aeroplane the British pilot broke the tail completely off his opponent's machine, which sent him crashing into the sea below.