SERGEANT BERNEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 December 1941, Page 5

SERGEANT BERNEY

EXCITING AIR EXPLOITS.

COOLNESS SHOWN IN OPERATIONS.

Sergeant R. B. Berney, of Masterton, who has been awarded the D.F.M., was a member of the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club. He took an active part in sport at the Wairarapa High School, and later played for the Pukctoi representative football team. He is a brother' of Dr. Berney, of Masterton. On one occasion when engaged in air operations he had to fly over enemy territory in daylight while returning after a raid deep into Germany, When 20 miles off the Dutch coast his aircraft was attacked by two enemy planes. After an encounter lasting 15 minutes in which his tail gunner disabled one of the attackers, putting all his guns out of action, Sergeant Berney managed to out manoeuvre the other enemy plane and land safely at his base though his plane was badly damaged and the tail gunner killed. He showed great coolness in his handling of the machine. On his last flight he participated in a mass raid over Berlin, and on returning home he was again attacked over Germany by an enemy fighter who did considerable damage to the plane. The aircraft dived 10,000 feet before Sergeant Berney regained > control by coolness and hard work. During this encounter his tail gunner had been busy and he had the satisfaction, of seeing an enemy bomber go down in flames.