HEROIC PILOTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1942, Page 3

HEROIC PILOTS

FIGHT BY AUSTRALIANS AT RABAUL ENCOUNTER WITH JAPANESE RAIDERS. ACTS OF RARE GALLANTRY. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, February 18. . How six Australian pilots heroically went into action against Japanese planes attacking Rabaul was told today by Mr Eric Howard, who arrived here with Mr Ted Bishton, who sent the last radio message to the outside world before wrecking the radio station and preventing it from falling into Japanese hands. Mr Howard, who was master of a small New Guinea Administration motor vessel, was an eye-witness of all the Japanese raids. He rescued as many people as he could, and eventually escaped to Port Moresby with 28. He said the population of Rabaul took to the hills after the first raid, and Rabaul became a dead town. In the worst raid, when the Japanese .came over in planes, most of which were from a carrier, six Australian pilots went up to intercept them. Mr Howard put his glasses on them, and he said he saw heroism such as could not be excelled anywhere. The Australians, badly outnumbered, went straight for the Japanese, and they got plane for plane. While the dogfights lasted the air was filled with screaming and burning machines hurtling to the earth. Mr Howard described another act of rare gallantry on the part of a Norwegian gunner, who. with a machinegun, blazed away at the swarming Japanese aircraft, which succeeded in setting fire to his ship. The Norwegian