NEW ZEALANDERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 24032, 1 August 1941, Page 9

NEW ZEALANDERS

SWEEPS OVER FRANCE LOW COVER ESCORT excitinu incidents |fl£) _ LpNDON, July 15 Jhe New Zealand I'ighier Squadron jjgj now shoi down three Gorman nircr3t't. A fourth lias not yet been confirmed- Hereinly the New Zealanders transferred from the north of England and. flying Spitfires, they have since been taking part in the daylight 3,,-eeps over I'ranee, acting as a low jorer escort to bombing aircraft. squadron-Leader M. \V. 15. Knight (Daniievirke> shot down the first Nazi f or the squadron betore it was transferred. Flight-1 .ieuu'iiant K. I'. Wells (Cambridge) got tin second and a probav,!e third oier I rance in one flight, Pilot-Oliieer C. Stewart (Wellington) split another into the Channel. 'flight-Lieut eiia.lt Wells, who is a former clay pigeon .snooting champion 0 f Xew Zealand and whose nickname j s "Hiiwkeye." shot .down his fourth \ a 7:i when bomners were being escorted on a Lille raid. He had accounted for three Huns before joining t ], c New Zealand squadron.

"I saw an Mo. 109 making a fainthearted pass at the bombers below us so I dropped down to have a squirt at him,'' Flight-Lieutenant Wells said. ''He went into a vertical dive and 1 put in a burst. 1 could not follow him down as 1 had to keep up with the bombers, so 1 did not see what became of him. Some other chaps saw a Jerrv go down in that locality about the same time and said ft pilot baled out. We claimed it as a probable, but so far it lias not been confirmed. "I started to catch un with the squadron again and 1 saw a couple of Me. HWs nosing about on our tail hoping for a straggler. I managed to pet one all right and he went down in flames. There was no doubt about that chap." Straight Into the Sea Pilot-Officer Stewart opened his score nth the squadron when he was patrolling over the Channel with three oth?r Spitfires. He saw three fighters approaching them, and turned to investigate.

"They wero flying toward me and at 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 1 saw the crosses on the wings. They rere Me. 109's. I did a starboard turn and gave one a squirt at about 100 tarns.

"He went into a dive and I followed aim down, giving him a couple more iysts. e were getting near the sea so I pulled out. It was a bit hazy and I came out only just in time as I got down to within 30 i'eet of the water. The Jerry didn't stop. He went straight into it, and I saw a great burst of foam." The squadron has escorted bombers to Bethune and other of the targets raided during the recent daylight offensives. Exacting and Tiring Work "The bomber boys are pretty good shots,'' said Squadron-Loader 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." Firing is exacting work for the tighter pilots. They are kept keyed tip at a nigh pitch of tension. Their job as a low escort cover is to fly above the bombers. They act as a second line of defence. Above them is a high escort which gets most of the fighting to do. Continually weaving, the low escort tfiust be ready at a second's notice to ward off the German fighters. Their eyes ate as restless- as their rolling and dipping Spitfires. ]t is tiring flying and one of the pilots has actually been airSick on several occasions. Comfortable Country Quarters

The Xew Zealand squadron is quartered in a comfortable country mansion near the station. There is a tennis court and a picturesque garden. ■ At present one of the pilots' favourite recreations is swimming in a pool some four miles away. Their hut on the station is typical of all R.A.F. fighter stations. There are bunks, and posters showing Nazi aircraft types or emphasising flying "doV and "donf's." ■there is a wireless set. a shore halfpenny board, and the paraphernalia of living gear. There are comfortable armchairs. which are appreciated when the squadron at readiness and wailing t" take off at a few minutes' notice. A map of England arid northern France lla ®> led and blue spotclies, red for enemy anti-aircraft batteries, blue for enemy fighter aerodromes. Recent newcomers to the squadron Pilot-Officer R. W. Baker < Dun'r'ini; and Sergeants J. D. Rao, L. M. R®lph and C. S. V. Goodwin (Auek'3n<i). K. C. M. Miller 'To A warn ut u) an .'| I. J. McNeil (Tikitik-i). Sergeant W. X Hendry did not retorn from one sweep. He*was seen flying over the Channel near France, but did not reach the station and he has been posted as missing.

LONDON WEATHER

EXTREMES DURING JUNE STORM FOLLOWS HEAT-WAVE LONDON. July 0 Only n day? after 1 lie- coldest .June day for five yr-;i r>, London had its hotto*t Jij n.■ dnv on record, Ihe first ten days of .Line weie miserably cnld and until ~n .1 line I 1 the minimum ''■mperat lire ;is recorded in Regent •°r lime since On Siindav. .lime 22. the maximum t'^Hlieiailil'e recorded ill Hegcnl Sll'i'et as '(1 i-,■, \',|| for nine \ ears has there lie, ,| | |()l day. and then it v "as in Aijeu-t. ict>i .iinie. Oil tile -nine night one of the higKf'st storms ever in hreak in north-east J' : nul;ii)d roithed thousand- of T.yneMJi'ts of iheir Sunday evenings drink. ' 'Jblif lioi(.»(■> wen- 'closed ami customers turned a\i:iv. The beer barrels ln the cellar- were' covered hv water. "io storm followed days ol brilliant, ? l ' a ther and lasted three hours, when hundreds of gardens and allotments ,vp i'f > ruined; hailstones as big as Hiarhlps fell: floods ripped up roads and pushed down brick walls; and a tnniidcrlioli tore oil' thousands ol cliini,lp.vs and slates. People had to wade thigh deep in **ater to pot home. Transport services cancelled.