Great letter from RNZAF Hudson Pilot Imprisoned by French
Aug 4, 2023 14:57:45 GMT 12
chinapilot likes this
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 4, 2023 14:57:45 GMT 12
PILOT'S ORDEAL
MEMORABLE FLIGHT
TAKEN PRISONER BY FRENCH
(O.C.) TE AWAMUTU, Monday
An account of the defection of his aircraft and his subsequent capture is given by Sergeant-Pilot E. C. Rhodes in a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Rhodes, Pukeatua, dated July 31. He was then a prisoner of war in Senegal, French West Africa.
"Be sure," he writes, ''that I am quite well, as are also the other three members of the crew.
"We were flying at 5000 feet in a new Hudson off the coast of Africa," Sergeant-Pilot Rhodes writes. "Most of the time we were 100 miles to 20 miles from land and the heat was very great in the aeroplane in spite of adequate ventilation. Approximately off St. Louis at a distance of 90 miles, the starboard motor of our heavily-loaded plane decided not to behave. I quickly found that the engine oil pump was not working and that the motor was slowly running dry.
Jettison Order Given
"When I found that we were losing height rapidly I ordered jettison of all cargo and our kit at once and turned for the forbidding coast. I repeated the jettison order to the crew and told them to unbolt the guns and heave them over. We continued to descend so I just had to open the fuel jettison cocks at 500 feet to keep off the water. I retained only 120 gallons of petrol but found that I could just maintain height on the one much overworked engine.
"As we crossed the coast into French territory I decided to continue the effort and fly so long as the machine would obey. We made for the nearest British territory by way of French Senegal and by passing Dakar. Estimaled distance was 180 miles. We were staggering at about 110 miles per hour and just off the ground — 300 to 400 ft.
"Disappointment of My Life"
"The clock on the control panel ticked on and on for an hour and a-half. We hope against hope that we can fly for 10 minutes and thus gain British territory, but petrol is very, very low and the second motor stops. Now for a crash landing with wheels up. We alight smoothly, mowing down 100 yards of rough swamp growth about 12 feet high. All well.
"I climb out of my seat and walk down fuselage. But alas! The greatest disappointment of my life. I could cry. A pile of kit bags remain in the fuselage. Three heavy guns remain in the turrets! Other gear, too. And I jettisoned petrol to keep us up in the air! Without that gear we could have reached British territory. But I ordered detonation of secret gear, salvaged the luggage and set fire to the aircraft.
French Soldiers Arrive
"By now 70 jabbering natives had arrived. They carried our luggage to dry land, but we could not understand one another. It was 8 o'clock in the evening and we realised how tired we were. Natives offered us a hut at their village for the night and some water. French soldiers came to the village at 2 a.m. and took us in charge. We were taken to a town called Kaolack and held as prisoners. The food and general treatment has been good and we hope soon by one way or another to be in British territory again."
NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 22 DECEMBER 1942
MEMORABLE FLIGHT
TAKEN PRISONER BY FRENCH
(O.C.) TE AWAMUTU, Monday
An account of the defection of his aircraft and his subsequent capture is given by Sergeant-Pilot E. C. Rhodes in a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Rhodes, Pukeatua, dated July 31. He was then a prisoner of war in Senegal, French West Africa.
"Be sure," he writes, ''that I am quite well, as are also the other three members of the crew.
"We were flying at 5000 feet in a new Hudson off the coast of Africa," Sergeant-Pilot Rhodes writes. "Most of the time we were 100 miles to 20 miles from land and the heat was very great in the aeroplane in spite of adequate ventilation. Approximately off St. Louis at a distance of 90 miles, the starboard motor of our heavily-loaded plane decided not to behave. I quickly found that the engine oil pump was not working and that the motor was slowly running dry.
Jettison Order Given
"When I found that we were losing height rapidly I ordered jettison of all cargo and our kit at once and turned for the forbidding coast. I repeated the jettison order to the crew and told them to unbolt the guns and heave them over. We continued to descend so I just had to open the fuel jettison cocks at 500 feet to keep off the water. I retained only 120 gallons of petrol but found that I could just maintain height on the one much overworked engine.
"As we crossed the coast into French territory I decided to continue the effort and fly so long as the machine would obey. We made for the nearest British territory by way of French Senegal and by passing Dakar. Estimaled distance was 180 miles. We were staggering at about 110 miles per hour and just off the ground — 300 to 400 ft.
"Disappointment of My Life"
"The clock on the control panel ticked on and on for an hour and a-half. We hope against hope that we can fly for 10 minutes and thus gain British territory, but petrol is very, very low and the second motor stops. Now for a crash landing with wheels up. We alight smoothly, mowing down 100 yards of rough swamp growth about 12 feet high. All well.
"I climb out of my seat and walk down fuselage. But alas! The greatest disappointment of my life. I could cry. A pile of kit bags remain in the fuselage. Three heavy guns remain in the turrets! Other gear, too. And I jettisoned petrol to keep us up in the air! Without that gear we could have reached British territory. But I ordered detonation of secret gear, salvaged the luggage and set fire to the aircraft.
French Soldiers Arrive
"By now 70 jabbering natives had arrived. They carried our luggage to dry land, but we could not understand one another. It was 8 o'clock in the evening and we realised how tired we were. Natives offered us a hut at their village for the night and some water. French soldiers came to the village at 2 a.m. and took us in charge. We were taken to a town called Kaolack and held as prisoners. The food and general treatment has been good and we hope soon by one way or another to be in British territory again."
NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 22 DECEMBER 1942
