AEROPLANE DROPS SPIE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3405, 9 February 1920, Page 6

AEROPLANE DROPS SPIE.

i DESCENT BY PARACHUTE.

DARING AERIAL WAR FEAT.

One of The most daring aerial feats of the war—-nothing less’ than the dropping of a spy from a. fast travelling aeroplane behind the cnemy’s lines, is revealed by Captain Wedgwood Benn, M.P., D. 5.0., in an interesting volume of his varied war experiences.

‘ The side show which was the scene of this ‘exploit was the Italian front, and the "time the summer of 1918. Captain Benn had been lent to the Italian Army to help in this risky piece of work, and his account of the way it was successfully carried out in -the face of difliculties that at first» seemed insuperable is as thrilling -a story as ever came from any theatre» of the war. ‘

The most Startling feature of the whole affair was that the spy, or agent, as Capttain Benn calls him, did not lean out with his parachute in the fashion of the aeronaut. who drops from a balloon, but was dropped willy nilly as the aeroplane flew over the enemy country.

LIKE THE HANGMAN’S DROP. Many technical obstacles had to be overcome before all was ready for the spy-dropping flight, andethe scheme proved to have so many precautions in case of failure and in the end the the precautions for the launching of Ithis one man involved the employment of more than 24 hours, of a force of about 60 officers and men. “The last and chief difficulty,” says

Captain Benn, “was hoiv to persuade the agent to drop at the right moment. I cannot. conceive of anyone having sufificient self-control to throw himself; from la. -moving aeroplane. . . . . How much harder would it be fior a man to leap from a machine going perhaps at 80 knots. The solution was considerately to relieve him of the embarrassment of choice. We arranged ‘that the agent shonld sit in a cockpit on a flap-door hinged _at the sides and opening in the middle. This floor was held in place by bolts controlled by a rope connected with the obs'erver’s seat.

“The' result was that it was the observer who decidbll when the bolt was to be drawn and the agent. waiting, presumably with some qualms, at the right moment found himself suddenly with nothing under him, and thus launched into the future. The perforxrrancej in fact, was similar in its mechanics 760- that carried out by Mr Billington in the course of his lugrubious duties.”

Colonel Parker, who later won the V.C., was chosen as pilot for the risky enterprise, followed a pEriod of close observation and experiment, that no possible‘ chance of failure should be‘ overlooked. There was much experimenting with the chosen machine--“a rickety and antedlluvian aeropl'a.ne”.'and its trap-door mechanism. REHEARSINGr WITH A D'L'.\l3[Y. During these. flights we dropped :1 dummy, 2. life-like sand man attired in an old uniform, and affectionately «called ‘George,’ and he Illadc several fine descents well on the spot ‘aimed at.”

Then there was the question of the i agent to be employed in this almost suicidal dea:th—or-glory job. Finally one Allessandro Tandura. was chosen --no “curly-haired, blue-eyed hero to look at, but rather under-sized, and dark, with the curious, close-knit, ‘hard-bitten, almost deformed appearance which belongs to the mountaineers. Yet he was by far the bravest man I have ever known’ ’——and this was his first flight in an aeroplane! Tandnra’s instructions were to “get back to his na.tive town nee.-r Vittocio; collect. information of the movements dispositions. and intentions of the enemy; above'all, get in touch with the Italian prisoners of war who had escaped zfnd were hiding among the peasaixtry, and by means of pigeons and Signals communicate all he could learn to Italian Headquarters.”

Major Barker’s part was “to fly an unmanageable old machin.-e in pitch darkness .9. distance of some 80 miles in all and make the difficult take-olifs and landings.” To Captian Wedg--B°od 801111 fell the duty of dl'Oppillg Tandura at the right moment and picking “P the Signals, by wireless and Searchlight, by which the nraehine was to keep ifs course. Complete plans were also made for the destruction of the machine in case of a forced landing. Tandura was provided with a peasantjs costume and a spade. with which to bury the parachute and incrinlinztfing belongings. ' THE GREAT MOHENT. At last the greatmoment arriyed. “They bring out'Tandura, who kisses his commanding officer; Véheds telars, is attached by“ a long‘ rope to the parachute which is slung ‘beneath’ the machine; is Sat on his «trap doc-r; is’ instructed to hold his arms («this to prevent him gripping the side of -the aeroplane. should he lose his nerve), and all is ready. A Nowis the beginning of two hours

Of the keenest. evcitement it is possible to imagine. The night is inky dark, which is greatly to our advancage, and. what is even more in our favour is the vivid lightning, which every few seconds shows up «ihhe country beneath us as plainly ‘as at midday. We cross the Piave. Everything is now ready. We are over the town which is our landmark; the seal'chligh’rs have begun ro “look for

“Barker is to make 9.1 signal to me with his foot when he is ready. I sit mith my hand on the thick ash l1mi'(lle which by means of a long wire controls the bolt under Talldul'a’s seat, Barker slightly stalls the m'achine, -the foot presses, I pull, and wait. No jerk, no apparent result. The bolts have struck. I pull agfilrx. The wire slacks, with a rush, the machine quivers and resumes its course. I

“I peep hurriedly through the floor, and imagine I catch a glimpse of a small black sphere flying past behind us, bufi that is all. For good 01' ill, Taudura is gone.”

It proved for good. 'l‘andura’s luck held. Some W(.'(‘kS later 111es.<ag_:es bogan to be received from him which showed that he had acomplished his objects. His K wonderful adventures and hair-breadth e‘s’Ea.pc-vs are finely described by Captain Benn. He was half~st'arvcd, despite all :IttE=.nlpts -‘to send him food gy aeroplane. Twice he

‘was arrested by Austrian gendarmes, but escaped; and once. when he thought he was hidden safely for the moment, he heard whispered in his ear The warning words: “Beware the Wolf,” a signal known only to secret agents, and never to be used save in the moment of direst pel-il_ It came just in time to enable him to escape before -The house was surrounded by gelldarmes~.