WELLINGTON AIRMAN

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 203, 25 May 1944, Page 5

WELLINGTON AIRMAN

Second Immediate Award (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) LONDON, May 23. The unusual distinction of winning two immediate awards, first the D.F.C. and then a Bar to it, is held by I light Lieutenant J. C. L. Fabian, Wellington. As a navigator he carried out_his first tour of operations with No. 75 (New Zealand) Bomber Squadron. It was on a raid on Hamburg in March, 1943, that a Stirling in which Fabian was navigator was badly hit by flak and went down out of control. Only the combined efforts of its English captain, wireless operator, and i abian, all pulling together on the dual controls brought the Stirling out of the dive when only 1000 feet from the ground. For his part in this flight he won an immediate award. ~ Almost a year later, in April. 1944, on his second tour of operations, he was in a Lancaster which was bombing Dusseldorf. The plane was attacked by . a Messerschmitt 109 and directly hit simultaneously by flak. The 'bomb-aimer and the wireless operator were mortally ' V °The e< Laiicaster had fallen SOOO feet before she could be brought under control again. One engine was on fire and useless, another was badly damaged. Lhe Lancaster crossed the enemy coast at 2000 feet, and could only fly just above stalling speed by losing, height. Eventually the English pilot gained another -00 feet, reached England, and crash-landed. Fabian was immediately awarded a Bar to the D.F.C. for “exemplary conduct and devotion (o duty.”