CHARMED LIFE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24104, 24 October 1941, Page 6

CHARMED LIFE

NEW ZEALAND PILOT A. C. DEERE, D.F.C. NINE DRAMATIC ESCAPES "LUCKIEST 01' THE WAR" LONDON, Oct. 20 Here is tho remarkable story of the luckiest airman of the war —SquadronLeader A. C. Deere (D.F.C. with bar), of Wanganui, New Zealand, He has had nine escapes from death, all of them stranger than fiction. These are his nine fantastic adventures, culled from 45 daring .sweeps over 1' ranee and bt) dogfights:— (1) Shot down near Nieuport during the Dunkirk evacuation, he made a successful "pancake" landing on the beach. Although badly wounded in tho head, ho scrambled up to the road, where he found an empty car, and raced ahead of the German panzer forces to Dunkirk. The car broke down, but he then found a motor-cycle. He reached Dunkirk just ahead of the panzers, swam out to a small boat, and from it boarded a destroyer. Rammed Enemy Head-on (2 and II) He was twice shot down near Dunkirk, but was again rescued. (1) While taxiing on a British aerodrome to take oil and intercept Nazi aircraft, a bomb fell in front of bis Hurricane. The explosion blew 11 is aeroplane several feet, into the air, overturned ii and hurled it to the edge ol the aerodrome. Deere, >till inside, was injured, but recovered in hospital.

to) During the Battle ot Britain lie ran mil of ammunition while attacking a Messerschmilt 110. He turned and rammed it head-on. Although the collision occurred at 700 miles an hour. Deere successfully leaped from his wrecked machine and parachuted to earth.

(6) While Deere was teaching a pupil fighter tactics, a sergeant-pilot in a Spitfire crashed into his aeroplane at 2-3,000 ft. —cutting it in half. The cockpit half, with Deere strapped into it, dived toward the earth. It fell IS.oooft. before Deere managed to get out and parachute to safety. (7) During a dog-fight over tho North Sea, a bullet from a Messerschmitt smashed his petrol tank. Deere had the'option of jumping from his petrol-soaked aeroplane or attempting to reach the coast. He stayed with the aeroplane, and reached the coast with a few yards to spare. " Dog-flght " Over Britain (8) During a dog-iight over Britain he was shot down at 20.000 ft. He jumped, but his parachute became unhooked from his right shoulder and did not open when he pulled the ripcord. "1 really thought 1 was gone this time," he said. He was within 800 ft. of tho earth when the parachute suddenly billowed out, and broke his fall. ("1 jarred every tooth in my head.") (0) After chasing a Messerschmitt across the Channel and shooting it down over its own aerodrome, Deere found 12 Messerschmitts diving on him. His ammunition was gone and his petrol was almost exhausted. Within sight of England his petrol gave out altogether. The Messerschmitts dived for the kill. Deere glided down and crash-landed.