DARING PILOTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24369, 3 September 1942, Page 2

DARING PILOTS

FRANCE AND MALTA ATTACKERS SHOT DOWN SEW ZEAL ANDERS SCORE (S&eria! Correspondent) (Eecd. 5-3."> p.ia.} LONDON. Sept. 1 Flight-Lieu tenant W. V. GrawtordCompwn, D.F.C., of Mission Bay. shot down a Focke Wulf 190 when Fighter Command Spitfires made one of their longest operational flights, successfully escorting American Flying Fortresses which bombed an aicraft factory at Meaulto, near Amiens. Flight-Lieutenant Crawford •• Compton took his Sight for an attack on fire Focke Wulfs which passed underneath | the bombers. He gave one short burst and saw the pilot bale out. He also damaged another Focke Wulf. This Auckland pilot was formerly in the New Zealand Spitfire Squadron, but is now attached to the West Lancashire Auxiliary Squadron. He is now credited with shooting down six and a-half German planes. Three New Zealand pilots won further laurels for New Zealand in the Fleet \ Air Arm when they shot down two! Italian planes and one German while their aircraft-carrier was accompanying the recent Malta-bound convoy in the Mediterranean.

Lieutenant F. A. J. Pennington, of Wellington, with his English commanding officer, attacked 21 Cants, Italian three-engine-d bombers. Lieutenant Pennington shot down one in flames and probably destroyed another, while the Englishman accounted for two more. Single-Handed AUack Sub-Lieutenant Hugh Morrison, of Masterton, attacked single-handed 12 Junkers 87's when he was attacked by u Messerschrnitt 109. He turned and shot down the Messersehraitt. Sub-Lieutenant D. S. Hill, of Auckland, was patrolling over the convoy when an Italian Macchi fighter dived twice at him out of the sun. Sub-Lieu-tenant Hill shot the Italian down when he made his second dive. Other New Zealanders aboard the j carrier were Lieutenant-Commander A. P. Napper, of Christchurch. who was | recently mentioned in despatches, SubLieutenants G. Reece and A. S. Long. ! of Auckland, and R. Richardson, of Wellington. Two Attack 21 Italians Lieutenant Pennington and his commanding officer were patrolling over the convoy off Tunisia when they met a formation of Cants flying in threeflights of seven each. The two British Fulmars immediately made a head attack against the Italian bombers, the aircraft passing each other at something over 500 miles an hour. The Fulmars wheeled and made a beam attack and then followed up the Italians from the rear. The Italians immediately jettisoned parachute mines. ! Lieutenant Pennington selected a i Cant and kept firing until he saw its | port and starboard motors aflame, upon 1 which three Italians baled out. The airj craft crashed into the sea in flames. ! Lieutenant Pennington attacked an- ! other Cant and fired until his ammuni- ! tion gave out. He saw pieces of the i aircraft splatter into the air and its ! engine began smoking, and it is unlikely i to have reached its base. Landing Without Flaps 1 "The Italians were firing at us," said j Lieutenant Pennington. "I could not see anything much, but the rear gunner i reported that he was wounded, I we were returning to the carrier two ! Italian CR 42 fighters • attacked. 1 i dived straight for the sea, but they ; did not follow, for which we were glad in view of our ammunition being exhausted. However, they shot up my hydraulics and I had to land on the deck without flaps.'' Sub-Lieutenant Morrison was patrolling with a flight when he became separated. He saw 12 Junkers 87's divebombers, returning after attacking the convoy. Sub-Lieutenant Morrison, although alone, unhesitatingly follower] them with the intention of attacking from behind when his observer commented: "Shush, there is a MesserI schmitt after us." Crash Into the Sea ! Sub-Lieutenant Morrison wheeled i sharply and met the German in a hcadon attack and gave him a burst, after which his observer saw the Messerschrnitt go straight down and crash in the sea. A destroyer also confirmed ; its crashing. i Sub-Lieutenant Morrison's troubles were not over, for other fighters attacked him. He dived to sea level toward the carrier and once went so low j-fchat another Fulmar afterward re- ' ported that his tail wheel brushed the I waves, but he escaped safely. | On one of his first patrols over the convoy Sub-Lieutenant Hill saw the Eagle torpedoed. "Great spouts of water shot up into the air," he said. "The Eagle immediately listed and then went down very quickly." Sub-Lieutenant H. E. Duthie, of Auckland, was the only New Zealander | aboard the Eagle. He is now on leave * in London Macchi Accounted For On another occasion Sub-Lieutenant Hill took off frum tho carrier during a dive-bombing raid by Stukas. "Flak was going up and Stukas and bombs were coming down," he said. "Water was shooting everywhere. It certainly was a lively take-off." By the time he was in the air the Stukas had made off, but Macchis, which were acting as a fighter escort, were still above. They were attempting to get "up sun" of Sub-Lieutenant Hill in order to dive on him from the sun's path. Before long on& Macchi began to dive, upon which Sub-Lieutenant Hill turned steeply and mot it head-on. Both aircraft were spitting death, but both missed, after which the Macchi climbed up into the sun again. SubLieutenant Hill continued patrolling when the Macchi made a second dive with cannons blazing. The Aucklander turned and met it and again raked it with bullets as it pulled out of its dive. As a result it passed 50ft. over his head with smoke pouring from it and then turned lazily and dived into the sea. LARGE TUNNEL OPENED (0.C.) HAMILTON, Wednesday The diversion tunnel at the Karapiro hydro-electric works has been opened for public inspection. Some 300 people accepted the invitation to inspect the tunnel, which is the largest of its kind in the Dominion.