NEW ZEALANDER DESCRIBES ATTACK ON SYLT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 March 1940, Page 5

NEW ZEALANDER DESCRIBES ATTACK ON SYLT

Many Dominion Airmen lake Part INCLUDING PILOT FROM FEILDING LORD STRABOLGI EXPRESSES ADMIRATION (By Telegraph.—Press Association.— Copyright? LONDON. March 21. “Tt was just like bedlam let loose.” This was the description given bv a 22-year-old New Zealander ol the scene ow I u. German island of’Sy It in the Royal Air Force raid during Tuesday night. The crew of one bomber comprised a Canadian pilot, a. New Zealand second pilot, an Irish .wireless operator, and an English, gunner. Thirty-five per cent of the pilot and crews engaged in Die raid were New Zealanders and Australians, and a further 15 per cent came from the other Dominions, bo far, it is the Dominions’ biggest represent al ion in R.A.F. operations. One of the New Zealanders engaged in the raid was I dot. Officer Tohv Lnxmore. Feilding. The New Zealanders and Australians concent rated mi the Hornum base, and lhey averaged six hours’ Hying during the raid. First they (lew over north-west Germany Io make doubly certain of the location of the military objective, whereupon the} gave the German base “all they had before returning home according Io schedule. In file House of Lords, Lord Sfrabolgi expressed admiration for Hie brilliant feat, of the Ii.A.F. He calculated that more bombs were dropped on Sylt than fell on London during the whole of the last war. According to this estimate, nearly 1000 bombs must have rained down on Sylt last night, as the total dropped on London during the last war was just over 300. Lori Sfrabolgi said that Syll was a perfect target because the civilians were removed from the island some time ago. During pasl months, in which we had seen our merchant seamen brutally done Io death by German airerall, the country had. longed for an opportunity Io retort. The promise of further raids was made by Mr Ghnrehill when he was questioned about the German raid on Scapa Flow. He said it was significant and encouraging when the Germans were trying to describe “this petty and ill-directed raid as an important military affair.” “We must, probably expect attacks of this kind to be a regular feature, of the war in the coming months, and we shall do our best. Io resist them and return them,” Im said.