DARING AIRMEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24103, 23 October 1941, Page 10

DARING AIRMEN

ANSWER TO BOMBERS ROLE OF "CATAFIGHTERS" LONDON, Oct, 17 Details of the new method of catapulting land fighter aircraft from the decks of freighters in mid-ocean have been released for the first time, although it had been widely known for several months that these machines were operating, and their activities had been publicised in the American press. The fighter is carried on the freighter's deck ready for catapulting, and is thrown from an incredibly short space. Should a German raider prepare to attack a convoy, the fighter goes straight into battle, and, being faster and better armed that the lumbering Focke-Wulf Currier, Germany's long-range bomber, it destroys the enemy before the Germans have tinie either to bomb the ships or escape with valuable information for U-boats.

Unpleasant Moment

Once he has been catapulted, a pilot knows he has no chance of landing on the freighter's deck, which is too small and too congested. If the pilot is not within sure distance of land, he must bale out or attempt to land the aircraft in the water. When the pilot is in the water he is kept afloat by a "Mae West" inflated lifejacket. This is bright yellow, which enables, him to be easily discerned if near the ships. Generally a lifeboat carrying hot rum and blankets puts out to the rescue.

Many of these "planeless pilots," or "catafighters," as they have become known, said that they felt like a bee—possessed of a single sting. They agree that the most unpleasant moment is ■when they know they are too far from land and must alight near the convoy. Pilot's Experience

One pilot said: "I circled over the convoy to choose a convenient spot, and decided to alight on the water. When the aircraft first touched the sea the engine and airscoops filled with water, and the fighter went down 35ft. under the water. 1 managed to scramble out of the cockpit, but before 1 got away the aircraft was so far down that I ivas in inky blackness. I dog-paddled to the surface with my lungs bursting. The lifeboat was alongside me in an incredibly short time."

The greatest danger to pilots who hale out is when high seas are running. The chance of remaining above water until the rescuers come is more remote, especially if the parachute carries them any distance from the convoy.