INTREPID AIRMAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24250, 16 April 1942, Page 9

INTREPID AIRMAN

AMERICAN SAVES LEADER enemy aircraft, cut in two SYDNEY, April 9 How a joung American pilot cut a Japanese fighter aeroplane in two and saved his leader is one of the epic Btories to come from Australia's northern battlefront. The hero is Lieutenant A. T. House, aged 24, formerly of Long Beach, California. Back in a New South Wales camp ou leave, he told the story reluctantly at the behest of his commanding officer. "There were nine of us Americans patrolling over Thursday Island at 19.000 feet." he said. "Our skipper, Captain "Bob Morrissev, sighted a Japanese force of nine fighters and eight bombers at 12,000 feet. We came right over the top of them, then peeled otf for the attack. I was alongside Captain Morrissev. I opened fire ou an enemy fighter at 600 yards, about the same* time as the skipper opened up on another one. I -kept flying right on at my opponent to about 100 feet. -My fire snot one wing off his aeroplane and cut all the canopv away. As he crashed to earth I saw the skipper's opponent stand up on its tail and then go down. "When I got out of my dive I saw another Japanese machine right behind , the skipper. I realised he would shoot my leaaer down, and I went for him. But after a short burst mv guns jammed. So 1 went in and sawed him in half with my wing. I did not think about it. 1 just did it. I got a glimpse of him in flames, but after that my | aeroplane did a cartwheel, and while I was upside down 1 saw I had lost ! ' three feet off my wing tip. "When I pulled out of that cartj rheel I was only 4000 feet from the i bottom and in a cloud bank. The aeroI plane was not acting too well, but finally I got back to my base all right."