AXIS AIR FORCE THRASHED

Southland Times, Issue 24838, 2 September 1942, Page 5

AXIS AIR FORCE THRASHED

MALTA CONVOY BATTLE (8.0.W.) RUGBY, August 30. One of the biggest hidings suffered by the combined German and Italian Air Forces over the Mediterranean was inflicted by the pilots of carrier-based Fleet Air Arm planes escorting the recent convoy to Malta. An agency correspondent says the pilots’ achievement makes one of the most thrilling stories of the war. The fight opened when a shadowing aircraft was shot down from 22,000 feet by a naval fighter—first blood to us. , An officer on board one of the air-craft-carriers continues the story from the point where the main battle was imminent. “Suddenly there was an explosion which shook the ship,” he said. “It came from another carrier—the Eagle—which had been torpedoed by a U-boat. While she was being attacked from underwater our aircraft routed the first wave of raiders approaching the convoy. Then the captain received an emergency landing signal and turned the ship to receive fighters coming in to land. They included machines from the Eagle—valuable aircraft which would be needed before the battle was done. The last to land was the pilot who made the emergency signal. He waited in his crazy, rickety plane lest he should crash and block the flight deck for the other fellows. ATTACK BY JUNKERS “After this attack came a lull until the next phase of the action. Our planes took off again, and disappeared into the darkening sky. Then a warning was given that a strong enemy force of 35 Junkers 88’s was only seven miles from the convoy, and the sky was red with flying metal as the enemy dived and twisted in an effort to evade antiaircraft fire. They were split into small groups. Two Junkers crashed in flames. Behind this terrific barrage the Germans knew our fighters were waiting to get at them as they came out, if they came out. The barrage lasted half an hour, and then ceased as abruptly as it began. “Remnants of the enemy sneaked away, but up in the sky were the carriers’ fighters, waiting to land, their petrol running low. The first pilot to land had only five gallons of petrol left. He could not afford to circle while the ship manoeuvred into position, so he touched down, with the deck slewing beneath him. The machine crashed into an obstruction and burst into flames, but the pilot escaped unhurt. The crash was cleared in six minutes. A volunteer party dashed to the burning plane and extracted the ammunition before it could explode and sweep death across the flight deck. “The following day there were further mass attacks on the convoy. Of the first large group of Junkers 88’s, only five escaped to describe the mauling they suffered. All day our planes tirelessly gave combat, refuelled, took off again, and tore into the enemy until dusk, when Malta-based planes took over the escort.’’ DOMINION PILOTS IN CONVOY BATTLE (Special Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 31. New Zealanders serving in the Fleet Air Arm operated from aircraft-car-riers which were part of the force involved in the recent Malta convoy battle. Sub-Lieutenant F. Pennington (Wellington) shot down two Italian planes and Sub-Lieutenants Hugh Morrison (Masterton) and D. Hill (Wellington), shot down one each.