THESE MEN DID A GRAND JOB

Camp News, Volume 3, Issue 110, 20 February 1942, Page 5

THESE MEN DID A GRAND JOB

N.Z. Airmen Acclaimed

PART IN THE CHANNEL

BATTLE

LONDON, February 46.

New Zealand may be very proud of the New Zealand fighter squadron. Led by Squadron -Leader E. P. Wells, D.F.C. and bar, Cam bridge, the squadron shot down four German machines, damaged two, and shot up and probably sank an E-boat, when providing an escort for bombers attacking the Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, and Prinz Eugen near Ostern. •

Flight Lieutenants W. V. C. Comp ton and G. Francis (Auckland),'and Pilot Officer R. Grant, D.F.M. (Woodville) each shot down one Hun, and Pilot Officers D. Clouston and 11. Sweetman (Auckland) shared another Flight Lieutenant Compton and Sergeant ,1. D. Rae (Auckland) probably accounted for two more, while Squadron Leader Wells and Pilot Officer J. M. Checkoffs (Invercargill) and Sergeants W. M. Krebbs (Hawke’s Bay) and T.,Goodlet (Dunedin) pumped an E-boat full of cannon shells and tail lets.

The squadron flew’ at 5000 feet over the Channel above a cloud bank, and then dropped through a hole in the •lends near Ostend. Squadron Leader Wells saw four Messerschmitt 109’s 1000 feet below, and told Flight Lieu tenant Compton to attack. Flight Lieutenant Compton, with Pilot Offiers Sweetman and Clouston and Pi mt Officer E. E. Mackie, Waihi, dive-turn-l'd and swept down. A melee followed. Flight Lieutenant Compton blew a wing-tip off one Messerschmitt, but did not have time to see the result. The Germans flew in over the Dutch coast, hoping that the New Zealanders would follow, so as to allow anti-aircraft guns to . shoot them up.

Kuse Ignored.

At 200 feet over Holland the flight v heeled rapidly away from the land, with flak and flaming onions spouting up at them. They re-formed over the ea and saw six Messerschmitts ap proaching, and immediately attacked. The Germans tried to draw them in ■ ver the coast, but the wary New Zea landers were not biting. They re formed after chasing the Germans, and prepared to-meet fresh attackers.

Flight Lieutenant Compton sudden hoard Pilot Officer Sweetman shout

flight down the lane between the Bel gian coast and the battle-cruisers. •yhile the squadron leader himself led his own flight on the other side of the warships and between them and the other line of destroyers. Francis, with Pilot Officer Grant, Sergeant Rae, and Sergeant J. Liken (Hawke’s Bay) sighted four Messerschmitts flying in pairs and chased them, but the Hun.' dashed off over the top of the battle ships. The four New Zealanders suddenly found about 30 German aircraf* round them. Francis sighted a- Focke Wulf 109 and, gave it a 10-second burst, ind saw it crash in the sea.

Subsequently, national newspapers published photographs of the squadron, with the caption: “Whatever queslions may be asked, these men did a grand job for Britain.”

dig - ' Look out, Bill, there is one over your tail.’ Flight Lieutenant Comp .on dive-turned and escaped, after which lie saw a Messerschmitt spin into be sea. Both Pilot Officers Sweetman and (Houston had fired on the plane, but they had no time to see the results and therefore they are credited with half each.

Meanwhile, Flight Lieutenant Compion fastened on to the tail .of another Messerschmitt and fired three long bursts. lie saw it crash on a beach live miles west of Ostend.

Though their ammunition was nov exhausted, the experiences of the quartet were not ended. Compton. Clous ton. and Mackie,' flying together, heard Sweetman radiophoning, and on looking round saw him leading what an pea red to be a flight of Germans, except that they were shooting at him. They swept round against the Germans, who immediately made off. When Compton’s flight turiibd away the remainder of the squadron flew mi and suddenly arrived over the German battle-cruisers, which were sandwiched between destroyers’ screens, with E-boats screening the destroyers. All the ships were steaming very fast, leaving giant creaming waves the whole width of the convoy. The E boat screen probably covered five miles. Squadron Leader Wells detailed Elight Lieutenant Francis to lead his

Meanwhile, Grant and Rae saw., a pair of Germans below. They began

o dive and then Grant saw a third German wheeling to get on to his tail, but Grant turned sharply and got on (lie Hun’s tail, closed in, and. gave him a six-second burst, after which the German crashed in the sea. Rae. continued to dive after the pair that had been originally sighted, and saw pieces fall off the tail of one. Scattering, the Germans broke off the action. Francis’s flight then ran out of ammunition and returned to England unharmed.

In the meantime Squadron Leadei Wells's flight flew down the lane be tween the battle-cruisers and the de stroyers, seeking Messerschmitts. The;, did not succeed in finding any. so they turned and followed up the warships, waiting hopefully until they ran short of petrol. Squadron Leader Wells therefore decided to use up his ammu nition against the E-boats. His flight peeled off and swept down against tin last E-boat. • They saw their' cannon shells and bullets smash it up. Ver.\ heavy flak greeted the flight, tempo rarity obscuring Wells’s machine from (’heckett’s sight. Having spent its am munition, the flight flew home, where the squadron was very jubilant, havlug lost no pilots and raised the squad ion’s score to 20 German planes.