SET ON BY GERMANS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 200, 25 August 1943, Page 5

SET ON BY GERMANS

N.Z. SPITFIRE SQUADRON (Special Correspondent—N.Z.P.A.) Reed. 6 p.m. London, August 23. The New Zealand Spitfire Squadron met a large concentration of FockeWulf 190’s while escorting U.S.A.A.F. medium bombers attacking Beau-mont-le-Roger airfield on August 22. The made head-on for the New Zealanders, but. Fighting French airmen w’ho wore above swung down behind the Germans and shot down two of them, while two of the Polish wing shot, down three more and a Canadian squadron leader a sjxth. r i ne New Zealanders suffered some losses. Pilot Officer J. B. Small, of Lower Hutt, has completed a tour of duty in Lancasters. He bombed Essen four times and also went to Wilhelmshaven, Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Stettin. His aircr aft, was badly hit by flak over Wuppertal, while incendiary bullets from aircraft went through his port, wing, smashing the outer petrol tank. As a result, he landed with only a few gallons of fuel to spare. He was attacked by night fighters twice. He had three inches of ice form on his wind-screen during one Essen raid.