N.Z. AIRMEN IN RESCUE FLIGHT

Southland Times, Issue 24868, 7 October 1942, Page 5

N.Z. AIRMEN IN RESCUE FLIGHT

HAZARDOUS WORK IN MIDDLE EAST (Official War Correspondent) WESTERN DESERT AERODROME, October 5. The New Zealand squadron leader in command has with him several of his countrymen in the Air and Sea Rescue Flight which undertakes the location and rescue of plane crews from the sea and the land. The commander is Squadron Leader S. W. R. Hughes, 0.8. E., who was formerly on the literary staff of The New Zealand Herald, Auckland, and a large proportion of the navigators are New Zealanders. Skilful navigation of the long-range machines employed is the essence of successful operations. Locating missing crews is no easy task, particularly as there is often only the vaguest knowledge of their whereabouts and searches frequently take the rescuers into enemy territory—dangerous work in daylight for long-range planes. I During the comparatively short time of its existence the flight has rescued 118 men, representing 100 calls. On one occasion four men in dinghies who were rescued were found to be the crew of a German plane which had bombed the flight’s aerodrome the previous night. GAR WOOD’S FORMER PLANE

During his Air Force experience Squadron Leader Hughes has flown more than 20 different types of planes, one of them now being the Fairchild Amphibian, formerly the property of Gar Wood, the American motor-boat racer. It was purchased by several American organizations and presented to the Air Force. The machine still contains its elegant blue cushions and many elaborate fittings. Several New Zealanders who are engaged on reconnaissance work with a nearby squadron are known as “the Eyes of the Navy.” Theirs is a specialist job requiring among other things a knowledge of the different types of warships. They must be able to distinguish say a 12-inch from a 15-inch gun ship or a 6-inch gun vessels from an 8-inch gun vessel so that the Navy will know the strength of the opposition. The squadron also reports the positions of enemy convoys in the Mediterranean.