GERMAN PLANE WRECKED.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14712, 18 September 1918, Page 8

GERMAN PLANE WRECKED.

NEW ZE ALANDER'S - 'EXPERIENCE

Signaller Eveiard Wright, of tho -'Flying. Corps,, writes to his parents, who reside m Auckland, a very jnteresiing account of the destruction of a. giant German*". aeroplane. -"He ssiys: "A few days 'ago" another fellow and TnyseK hud a most exciting hour' or so. We 'were on duty on a signal station about 3 a:ni. ' The only sound to be .heard was the/ rolling ■ bf ithe big guns 'during the big push down' south, till we detected a Hiin^ plane m the neighborhood by the sound of its engine. Of *oiirseV we-, blew out the" candles and waited : for* him to • pass over h cad, but die stopped... his engine, and became a dead silence. ' We 'guessed .that something- was amiss, but at Was a pitch '-.black nighty and We co'tild see i^aiothing. V (Before •'1 ■'. say a^iy ' more 1 .will mention that he was brought down by oui % aircraft guns:) We lc^pt a good look-out outside . the bivvy, .and, ol-:thoUghvhtt-waa forced to land only 50 yardi; from us -We could not see: a sign of {the ; plane until we heard them shouting, m -German. At thesanve tittle they 'jumped out «nd started firing; flaws . into the body of the maicfhine to /set* it on fire, 'and' this they succeeded an doing. ; At first thoughts on hearing 'the German talk was bur .rifled, .tvhich- were, worse luck; iii a deep dug-out ono hundred j^ards away, and 1 ttoe\ plane ' between us. We quickl Tyrnade 1 np our minds to go over to the Tommies' dugTOut, borrowed' some Jrifles. and ammunition. By tho time rwe-.got the rifles loade'dr .thS 'H'tihs -had ;fire,d the- p^lane, and the/petrol igniting the plane was lit up like day. Their last duty to. Germany done,' two of tho iHunslaid d6\vn and awaited their cap•tur.e- "mit th© third man made out 'Of ,it -."■ pretty fasti We had to act v6ry quickly, u so t my: mate crept dut-to the Tommies' bivvy a few.yavdß and waited -for Frila ,tew.come. 1 remained just .'behind 'him, and we both' had him Covered with our rifles > so ho would never •have got more than one shot m with the revolver. What Ins intentions were m running away I don't- know ; pcr r haps he gaw us and was coming to give .himself up. When h0 ... got about six yards off my mate halted him and told ■him to put his^iands Up, but whether ihe. understood or not 1 -don't know. Anyhow, he atill advanced, ana wo brought, him to a standstill by firing a 'couple '•• of shot s over ' his head. I think the poor dovil' very nearly 'died •with 'fright; he up with .his -'ha-nds and Yelled "Kajuarad." 'As soon as I "saw his • hands • iip, while my male covered ; hini with a rifle, I felt' his pockets for firearms. Wo took him down <^to. his two mates, who had been captured by a couple of artillerymen. Tim fellow we caught was an officer and th c other two were* privates. Wo took tlirim down to headtjuarters .'and x handed them- over. The plane did not burn very much after all. The .canvas wings wero.no^ all burnt, and you could 'distinguish tho cross . on them easily. ' 1 never a khew ( ' there was such a' huge plan« m existence, I have often heard of the; huge 'Gothas' which bomb London, and I never expected to see .one under such exciting circumstances. It was a double-engine, five-seated, and •fi|6m' the tips of the wings was exactly ninety feet. Of course ' the body of 'the plane was burnt out," and" "we * did nbt manage to get any of tho clocks, speedometers, or . compasses, 'and such valuable things as those. Each, clock as valued at -• £50. Nevertheless we managed to get some souvenirs. The day before this happened' we captured some prisoners."