RAIDS ON BREST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24627, 7 June 1941, Page 14

RAIDS ON BREST

NEW ZEALANDERS DECORATED BATTLESHIPS BOMBED (0.C.) LONDON..May 8. • Two New Zealand-air gunners hav« been decorated for their part in the attacks on the German battle,cruisers Scharhliorst and" Grieisenau at Brest.' They are Flying Officer W.D. Brown (Wanganui) and Sergeant Keith 1. Street (New Plymouth); who received the D.F.C. and the D.F.M. respectively. Flying Officer Brown, who is the squadron gunnery leader of .the. New Zealand . Bomber Squadron,, was the rear gunner in a Wellington. Two other New Zealanders in the crew were Flying Officer D. Prichard (DanHevirke) and Pilot Officer K. Struthecs (Wellington). ,-•: "We had: dropped' our bombs at Brest and were on the way back," Flying Officer Brown, said.., ."We were flying by ourselves at about 12,000 ft when a German: appeared about-300ft below us. He was a. Messe.rschmitt 110, and we followed him fOraboutfive minutes, keeping a pretty-close'.watch on him. Presently-he started to come up tq attack us. I just pulled the trigger, and. he "went" down in flames. There was hot much more to'it.--The official citation.said that;Flying Officer Brown, " by excellent/judgment and marksmanship* - fired;-three•-short bursts! and the enemy fighter r .was; seen to»dive straight -into;, the sea." < *' K*enW Visit Italy Flying Officer Browo'.has riotf. completed 16 flights over enemy .territory-, and has taken part in.raids.on Berlin and towns in the Ruhr district.. Hit ambition is to see Italy from a raider's angle. .V».". '• '•■.'-•-. ■;'■'•'.' «-:-■■■. During one visit:to .Berlin,- ; in. a' Wellington bomber 'piloted Lieutenant ML- W. -Mecfarjahe (North Canterbury);, arid--Flying:-Officer.: D. McArthur (Christchurch).the"aircraft hit a balloon barrage cable. " McArthur saw the cable -in the moonlight, and pulled the stick back for a'stall-turn. We hit the cable, but riot as sharply as we> might-have done, and went into a -screaming dive--'-•..for- 5:000ft,^.,. : Flying Officer Brown said. •• "We .thought we had collected;.4hat ; ,tipie > but-we: got out «&& all-right, : .and; landed f we found that the cable','hadrleffc itsmark on the.under side of the starboard wing." ~- •.■?,•': v Visits to Berlin and Leipzig Sergeant Street; has also .made a number of raids over .eneniy: territory, including visits to. Berlin and Leipzig. He has been to Brest eight times, On this" occasion we dived down to 1000" to drop our bofnhs," he ■■■ said;.;: .We got a direct hit. There was- very severe anti-aircraft .fire".coming'up almost directly uriderneath us, froiri "either side of the.icarial. .They were strafing uY'fierpely, .-•••The're<; were also many searchlights; arid \ve got held in a cone. ~.."... »■•-•.' "The only thing to do was to try to put them" out of action, .so L opened fire. Then one of the pins which fix the guns came out, and V left holding "the guns 'idly in'my: hands. I looked around for something iguitabls with which to-make a repair, arid,:seizing a thin piece-of steel,, about the size of a pencil, from a flame float,: managed to stick it in the- hole where th« pin had been. ~'■'• • ■ . '?■. . "I resumed firing at the searchlights. At last we got clear. It had -been rather hot, but I enjoyed every rtunut* of it. The captain did a fine job « bringing us safely home." - t