N.Z. FIGHTER ACE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 12, 9 October 1943, Page 5

N.Z. FIGHTER ACE

Part In Tunisian And Sicilian Campaigns (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) (Received October 8, 7 p.m.) LONDON, October 7. New Zealand’s leading fighter ace. Wing Commander Colin Gray, D. 5.0., D.F.C. and bar, Gisborne, has returned to England after taking part in the Tunisian and Sicilian campaigns. He left England last January as a squadron leader, and while away became a wing commander. He won the D. 5.0., and shot down 10 more enemy aircraft, bringing his total destroyed to 27-J. He shot down five over Tunisia, three while operating from Malta, and two in Sicily. Gray took command of his squadron of Spitfires in Gibraltar, and later commanded a wing comprising five 'squadrons, one led by Squadron Leader E. R. Mackie. D.F.C. and bar, Waihi. It was the task of the Spitfires to escort bombers preceding and during both the Tunisian and Sicilian campaigns. Aerodromes were plastered with bombs. “In the last week of the Tunisian show, we only saw an* enemy aircraft once,” said Gray. ‘‘There is little doubt that the success of the Sicilian campaign was a result of the way in which the Tactical and Strategical Air Forces plastered enemy aerodromes. Just before the invasion they dropped delayed action bombs on the aerodromes. The Germans were unable to fill the craters because of the bombs, nor were they able to remove their aircraft. They had to rely on long-range defence from the Italian mainland. That is why we never saw many Germans over Sicily—unfortunately. Fighting over both Tunis and Sicily was somewhat different from the organized sweeps over France. We were in readiness from dawn to dusk, and except in Malta, we lived in tents.” The four leading New ZeNand fighter pilots are now: Gray (27A), Deere (214), Flight Lieutenant R. B. Hesselyn (194), anti Wing Commander W. V. C. Compton (16j), a total of 85.