RETURNED SAFELY
SPITFIRES CAN TAKE IT
A hole big enough for a man to go through was made in the fuselage of a fighter Command Spitfire by a German heavy anti-aircraft shell during a recent sweep over the Belgian coast. Splinters went right through the aircraft and out the other side. The elevator controls were shot away with the exception of a single wire, but the Spitfire returned safely to base. The R.F.C. squadron leader who was flying the aircraft said: “It happened on a wing sweep. Our squadrons went in over Blankenborghe and out over Zeebrugge. shooting up trains and factories. Suddenly my aircraft was hit. I was not hurt at all, but she wobbled badly at the time and I pulled out quickly. I wasn’t sure where the hole was, though all the boys called to mo over the R-T saying they could Gee daylight through my aircraft. I found the elevator controls would not work, hut I held tile stick fully forward and managed to maintain height. The 150 miles home took about 45 minutes, but they seemed long miles.”
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PAHH19421005.2.47
Bibliographic details
Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXI, Issue 15165, 5 October 1942, Page 4
Word Count
183RETURNED SAFELY Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXI, Issue 15165, 5 October 1942, Page 4
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