DAUNTLESS SPIRIT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24474, 6 December 1940, Page 6

DAUNTLESS SPIRIT

THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN BOMBS DROPPED ON BERLIN i; ; : DUNEDIN PILOT'S LETTER Some idea of the admiration that has been aroused among New Zealanders in the fighting forces in the Old Country by the spirit of the people who are suffering from the.almost daily bombing raids, is given in a letter received recently by his parents from a Dunedin boy in the Royal Air Force. "These London people are really taking the bombing wonderfully." he says, writing on October 10". "The sufferings of the working people living in the-East .End must:be very difficult for them to bear, but they carry on just the same, and how the Germans think 'they can defeat a'people with that spirit. I don!t know. "At last, we have had the satisfaction of giving Berlin the same." he continues, "and I have been there several times, including the first raid. It's just too easy and the defences do not seem to have much idea of their job at all, although the. barrage gets a*" bit warm at times through sheer quantity Just the same. I cannot understand the German definition of a military objective. They just .seem to find a town and drop their bombs from a great height, and I don't believe.that their pilots have any idea where they are or Where their targets are. We spent an hour and threequarters over Berlin the other night before we dropped our bombs, and I don't think the time was wasted."According to the writer, the advent of winter is making conditions somewhat difficult for our airmen. . " One jaunt over the other side these days is quite equal to two or three in decent weather." he..writes "We had both motors cut out at 9000 feet in cloud the other night, and they did riot start again until we were at 2500 feet, when the temperature was still well below freezing point. We could not see out of the plane at all on account of a coating Qf ice, and even the instruments in the cockpit were coated. That's the second time we have had that happen, and we don't exactlv fancy a swim in these temperatures. Even bur; little rubber boat is not a great consolation."