HELMET SAVED HIM

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 218, 10 June 1943, Page 5

HELMET SAVED HIM

N.Z. Airman’s Eventful Bombing Trips OUTSTANDING CAREER (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) (Received June 9, 7 p.m.) LONDON, June 8. When Squadron Leader Keith Thiele, D. 5.0., D.F.C. and Bar, Christchurch, left New Zealand in June, 1941, .he brought with him a flying helmet which he used throughout his training. He continued to wear .it during his first tour of operations, and, though a newer and lighter type of helmet was issued without, heavy rubber ear-pads, Thiele- remained attached to his New Zealand headgear. On his-57th and final operation, that helmet saved his life. He was over Duisberg when shrapnel shattered his windscreen and he felt a “terrific clout” on his right ear When he landed he found the ear swollen like a cauliflower, and embedded in the rubber ear-pad was a flak splinter. He has no doubt that his favourite helmet prevented him being killed outright. At 22, Thiele is one of the small distinguished group of New Zealand airmen who have won a triple. decoration in this war. His career, like his ability as a pilot, has been outstanding. After leaving the Christchurch Boys High School, he was for 2J years a reporter on the “Star-Sun.” He joined a Canadian squadron for his first tour, rising “from pilot officer to squadron leader m five weeks. . . Thiele did 21 raids in Wellingtons on that tour and 11 in Halifaxes, taking part in all three of the famous 1000plane raids. He was awarded the 1M .U after his tour, but not being attracted by instructing, he asked to return to operations, giving up his rank of squadron leader to do so. He was posted to an Australian Lancaster squadron and soon was promoted to squadron leader. He carried out the scheduled 20 raids for his second tour, but applied for an extension and was allowed to carry out four more before being ordered off. Unusual Distinction.

Thiele had the unusual distinction of receiving an immediate award of a Bar to the D.F.C., only two days after it was announced that he had been awarded the D.S.O. He has now been posted to the Transport Command —still protesting that he wants to do more raids. > Thiele has had more than his share ot “shaky dos.” Twice he flew a Wellington back from Germany on one engine and twice he had two engines of his Lancaster put out of action, but landed safely. He has been to Berlin five times, the first occasion being when 37 bombers were lost through bad weather. That night, anti-aircraft fire over Kiel stopped one of his Wellington engines, hut Thiele flew on and landed with only 30 gallons of petrol. This happened again over Bremen when he was returning from a raid on Hamburg. Again he got back safely. It was his second tour which was so eventful. Something seemed to happen to him on every raid. While approaching Berlin on his fourth raid in Lancasters, the rear-gunner complained of lack of oxygen. Thiele turned on the emergency supply and the rear-gunner said it was better,; but later reported that he was not getting the full supply—-it was later discovered that he was using an old type of mask which iced up, his breath freezing at 19,006 ft. Thiele was only two miles from the target and had to carry on and' bomb, but he had to send the rear-gunner to the back to he given aid. After the bombing, Thiele dived below oxygen height, put m ‘ George (the automatic pilot), left the flight engineer m charge and then summoned the remainder of the crew to geUout the gunner. While doing so, flak hit the Lancaster twice. The rear-gunner was unconscious ana subsequently died. , Then came a trip to Nuremburg, when one engine caught fire while over the sea, but Thiele feathered the screw and got the fire out. He jettisoned his incendiaries but carried on with a cookie (a 4000-pounder). He bombed the target and then returned over Germany and France at 1000 ft., flying for seven hours with three engines. On that return trip his gunners shot up searchlights, trains and flashing beacons, which is a favourite PaBt i lae ’Blinded by Searchlights.

-Next came Duisberg. While running up to the target he saw a cone of searchlights which were holding another aircraft. They suddenly picked up Thiele and shifted their entire attention to him. He was only two minutes off the tar o et, so carried on and bombed, in spite ot ■the blinding lights and then dive-turned for home. It was then that his winuscreen was blown away and the ear-pad saved his life. Flak also blew, away half of the starboard outer engine aud riddled and set on fire the inboard engine. Thiele put out the fire with an extinguisher and, gradually losing height, set out for England. The Lancaster kept at 500 ft. and Thiele put it down safely L England, It was that flight which gained him the immediate award of the a week previously, when returning from Stuttgart and flying low, a chance rifle shot hit the leading edge of the wing. It must have been one of the luckiest shots of the war, because it cut a Pipe of the starboard outer engine and also put out of action part of the hydraulics. As a result, only one wheel would come down, but Thiele returned safely and landed on one wheel without flaps.