N.Z. SQUADRON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 May 1941, Page 3

N.Z. SQUADRON

i LED BY AL W. B. KNIGHT i — FORMER MEMBER OF WAIRARAPA j & RUAHINE AERO CLUB. r i “COBBER” KAIN'S INSTRUCTOR. [ i With 1200 flying hours to his credit, » a first-class instructor, and with a i wide experience of fighter patrol work t against the Nazis, Squadron Leader j M. W. B. Knight (Dannevirke), the 24-ycar-old commanding officer of the I New Zealand Fighter Squadron, is an ideal leader for the New Zealand pilots who are to flying the Spitfires bought by public subscription in the Dominion. ( After leaving Wanganui Collegiate f School, where he was capped for foot- t ball and cricket, he learnt to fly with the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club. » His instructor was Flying Officer J. s Buckeridge. Like many other New 1 Zealanders at that time, he worked - his way to England to join the Royal | Air Force. He was a ship's writer ■ for the voyage and his “salary” was a shilling a month. He arrived early in 1935, and was granted a short service commission as a fighter pilot. After nearly two years with his squadron he was appointed as an air firing instructor, teaching the everincreasing flow of pilots air firing and formation dive bombing. One of his pupils was the late Flying Officer' E. J. (“Cobber”) Kain. This period as an instructor ended last November, when Squadron Leader Knight was transferred to take a rc-fresher course on Spitfires. He was then posted to a squadron of Hurricanes for three months, attached to the now famous Burma Squadron. As the autumn Battle for Britain had been won by the Royal Air Force by this time, and the Nazi pilots were making only tentative daylight appearances over the English countryside, this period of patrol flying was comparatively “dull” ■ from the pilots’ point of view. Squadron Leader Knight frequently I led fighter patrols over Kent, but the ; only sight they had of the Luftwaffe I was thin white vapour trails indicat- , ing that the Nazis had not come to ; stay. He also took part in patrols out to sea. and in covering the return from ' [ France of aircraft after carrying out r daylight sweeps. ’ Before being appointed to command i the New Zealanders. Squadron Leader ; Knight was attached to a Czech squad- : ron for a month, leading a flight. He also did about 100 hours of night fly- ; ing. This he regarded as being "good > fun.” ; -In common with other pilots he . found that it is extremely difficult to . intercept enemy aircraft on dark, > moonless nights, even with the assistance of scientific instruments. There . are better opportunities on full moon- , lit nights. Then, by flying below the German aircraft, it is frequently pos- . sible to pick up their silhouettes ; against the bright sky. His nearest approach to a raider j was when a warning was given just as he was about to take off. Bombs fell a few minutes after he was in the air; but even so the German was dif- . flcult to locate. Another British pilot , fired a long burst, but the Nazi reI tired abruptly.