A WRECKED GERMAN 'PLANE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 306, 14 September 1918, Page 7

A WRECKED GERMAN 'PLANE

NEW ZEALANDER'S EXPERIENCE. Signaller Everard' Wright, of the British Flying Corps, writes to his parents, who reside in Auckland, a. very interesting account of the destruction of a giant German aeroplane. Ho says:—"A few days ago another_ fellow aod myself had, a most exciting hour or so. 1; Wβ'were on'duty on a signal station * about 3 a.m. The only sound to he heard wae the rolling ofc the big guns during the big push down south. Then we detected a Hun 'plane in the neighbourhood ~- by the' sound of its engine. We blew out the candles and waited if or him to pa bs overhead, but he stopped his engine, and everything became a' dead silence.. We guessed that .something was amies, but it was a pitch, black night, and we could'see:nothing. .(Before! say any more I will mention that he was brought down by our aircraft _ guns.) Wβ kept a good look-out outside the bivvy, and, although he was forced to land only fifty yards from us we could not. see'a sign of the.'plane until we heard them shouting in Germau. Ah the sumo time they jumped out, anil started firing flares into the body of the machine to set it oA .fire, and this they succeeded in doing. Our fivsti' thoughts on hearing tlio Germau tallc was our rifles, which were,-worse luck, in a deep dug-out one hundred' yards away, with iho 'plane-between us. Wo quickly made np-our jninds to go over to the Tommies).^ and borrow , some Tifies' anct.'aimViiihition.' "By the timo we got tliorifles loaded the Huns had fired the 'plane. Their last duty to Germany done, two of the Huns laid down and awaited their, capture, bub the third man made out of it .pretty fast. We had to act very quickly, so my inato'crept out to tho Tommies] , bivvy a few yards and waited ifor J'Yita to come. I remained just behind him, and we both had him covered with our rifles, so lie would never have got more than one shot in with the revolver* What his intentions wore in running away I don't know; perhaps lie saw us and was coining' over to give himself up. When lie got about six vards off my mate halted- him and told him to put his hands up.' lint whether he liiw derstood or not I don't know. Anyhow, he still advanced, mid we brought him , to a standstill by firing a couple of shots- over his head. I think the poor devil very nearly died with fright; he put; up his hands, and "yelled "'Kam- , arad.' As soon as I saw his hands up, while my. mate covered him with a rifla I felt his pookets for firearms. Wβ took him dbwirto his two mates, who* had been-captured by a couple of artil* lery men. The fellow we caught was an officer and the other two wove pri* vates. Wo took them down to head* minrtors and handed them over. Tlid 'plane did not burn very much after Ml. The f-anvus wines were not all burnt, and you could distinguish tho pross on them ciis'lv. • I never kuetf there was such ». huge 'nlanc in exv4pv.no. I |i"vo pfton hfird of the lined 'Gothas' which bomb London, and I Hliyni' oxwctcil to SOB OIIC Ulldov SUell oxc.itii'.ir circumstances, l.twns ;> rlnnblooii!»''ii,d. fivo-seatei". an<V fvo»i Mi r> Hns of tho whips was nxiirtlv. ninety foot. Of enurso, I In , linrly " r t'm 'nlane wnsj liurnt out, i"inl w(i did not ln.iiini'o t<l rent nnv nf tlif , rinp'v'j. or ciunpasso , :. pikl simli v.ilnsiMn ns +'111=0. Wurli nlock is v»lni> ( r ,A, RM. ypvort-'inlese. wr ninn.ni'pd hi pot soniQ wivpiiivs. T'<" Hiiv \hU- '-nppeii. od we captured soino , prisoners."