AIRMAN’S EXPERIENCES AT MALTA

Southland Times, Issue 24756, 29 May 1942, Page 5

AIRMAN’S EXPERIENCES AT MALTA

(Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, May 27. Flight-Sergeant C. A. Armstrong, of Devonport, who was 'recently awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, has returned to England from Malta, where he carried out 42 raids. Squadron Leader F. J. Steel, D.F.C., of Napier, Pilot Officer G. H. Easton, of Christchurch, and Flight-Sergeant K. K. Coleman, of Blenheim, are in the same squadron. Squadron Leader Steel has now gone to India, Pilot Officer Easton is flying with the British Overseas Airways Corporation in the Middle East and Flight-Sergeant Coleman is in England. “I was posted to a Wellington bomber squadron in May 1941 and carried out six raids over Germany,” said FlightSergeant Armstrong. “Then I applied to go to the Middle East. I arrived in Malta in October, and liked the look of the place, so I applied to stay, which was granted. I carried out two raids and when my old squadron arrived I got transferred. I did 34 raids as a captain, bombing Tripoli 14 times, Naples eight times and Benghazi four, and also Taranto, Brindisi, Sicily, Misurata and Patras. I also bombed four convoys in the Mediterranean. Patras was the most exciting and most difficult raid. All our targets were ships in the funnel-shaped harbour, which is difficult to approach, for hills rise almost sheer for 4000 feet. Behind the town anti-aircraft gunners placed

2000 feet up in the hills shelled us while we dived under the cloud base at 2500 feet. We had to look lively to dodge the fire and avoid hitting the mist-shrouded hills. “We had an interesting time bombing Misurata. When the British were approaching Benghazi it was a beautiful night. We started big fires and shot up road transport, of which there was plenty. A piece of incendiary antiaircraft fire entered the aircraft, but the navigator picked it up in his hand-, kerchief and threw it out. We had an interesting time in Malta in the first two months, but the raids altered things. Malta was bombed 60 times in Christmas week. I was lucky to escape when a 500-pounder landed 50 yards away while I was working on an aircraft preparing for a raid that night. I was two months at Suez after operations and then came to England, meeting Terence Barton, an Auckland civil servant, on the way. He gave me a wonderful time.” Flight-Sergeant Armstrong has applied to go to the United States as an instructor.