PART IN LE CREUSOT RAID

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 21 October 1942, Page 5

PART IN LE CREUSOT RAID

WARM TRIBUTE PAID “CREDIT TO DOMINION" 1 London, Oct. 19. J New Zealand pilots were in five j out of six of the first Lancasters to bomb the Le Creusot armament works in the 94-bomber raid last week. New Zealand navigators, bomb-aimers and air gunners also took part. They included Pilot Officers R. O. Calvert, D.F.C., Waikato; D. H. Palmer, Wellington; A. R. Loader, Taihape; R. W. Stewart. Whakatane; Flight Sergeants V. S. Moore, D.F.M., TauI marunui; H. W. Player. Petone; Sergeants P. L. Singer, A. M. Singer (twins). J. L. Williams, Gisborne; R. ! Crosgrove, Auckland; J. W. ColJbert, Te Puia Springs; D. V. Davies. Raetihi; J. B. Price, Grey Lynn; R. Menzies, Hastings; R. B. Pickford, Rata. All agreed that the raid was “a ■ | piece of cake”. They met only slight flak over the target, but it stopped ■ 1 after the first two bombers released 1 their bombs. Player said: “We had no exciting incident in the whole trip, i We prepared for the take-off shortly 1 after midday and soon picked up other sections and then swept out over 1 ; the coast, flying almost wing tip to wing tip. The weather was perfect. The only bad spot was over the sea ' when we flew at nought feet. , “We hedge-hopped over most < f , France, but climbed when nearing the , target and my heart sank when I j sighted a thick cloudbank as I thought ; it might upset the whole operation, but < luckily it cleared. i “I have never seen buildings disappear ] like they did when our bombs fell. They 1 collapsed like a pack of cards. It war; 1 better than any earthquake. “We saw little signs of life over France, only a few people working in the fields and a ploughman who threw himself flat when he heard the roar of f the engines. Others outside a village , waved and gave the V sign.” , Menzies said: “The worst part of - the trip was waiting for something [ which did not happen. It seemed im- < possible that the Germans would let t us get away scot free.” c Moore, who recently spent 36 hours i in the sea in a dinghy when forced t down after a raid against Bremen. ( said: “Le Creusot was the best show * I have had. Jerry was conspicuous by ’ his absence.” Commenting on the New Zealander’s ' part, a group captain said: “They are a credit to the Dominion, and also to the men who trained them. We always t look on the New Zealanders as the r backbone of our bomber crews. They t are grand chaps.”—P.A. Special Corres- t pondent. > 1