Tobruk Raid Incident

[Dave Homewood]

BOMBER'S ESCAPE

TOBRUK RAID INCIDENT

NEW ZEALANDERS' HEROISM

(Special Correspondent) (Recd. 9.40 p.m.) LONDON, March 14

Wounded in both arms, a leg and a thigh, with hands bandaged, and suffering from shock, Flight-Sergeant Douglas J. Cummings, of Christchurch, mended a damaged wireless set in a Wellington torpedo bomber while returning to Alexandria after a raid on Tobruk in September. It meant the difference between crashing and reaching the base. For his action he was granted an immediate award of the D.F.M.

Another New Zealander, Pilot-Officer A. G. Metcalf, of Hawera, in the same aircraft, was also awarded the D.F.M. for his work on that flight. It was Pilot-Officer Metcalf's 46th raid and his last. He said it was his best.

Destroyers' Barrage
Pilot-Officer Metcalf, who was captain of the aircraft, in which were also Sergeant "Killer" Kirk, of Christchurch, an American pilot-officer from Louisiana and a Scot, was ordered to attack a 6000-ton merchant ship going to Tobruk, escorted by eight destroyers. They sighted the convoy under a full moon, but the destroyers put up a terrific barrage. It was so intense that the Wellington was hit five times by flak. Pilot-Officer Metcalf, however, was determined to get the merchant ship; he flew within 10ft. of the sea, making it difficult for the guns of the destroyers to train on the Wellington.

Saved by Wireless
Eventually, after much manoeuvring, the plane released both torpedoes simultaneously from a height of 40ft. They both struck amidships. In their brilliant flash the merchant vessel heeled, then a red glow appeared. A shell from one of the destroyers burst under the Wellington's starboard engine, blew in the fuselage, and wounded Flight-Sergeant Cummings. It also put out of action the electrical equipment, making the wireless useless.

Pilot-Officer Metcalf — who is 23 years old and a little over 5ft.—handed over the controls to the American, who is over 6ft.. and a champion footballer. Then he went back and bandaged up Flight-Sergeant Cummings, who then set to work to repair the wireless.

Pilot-Officer Metcalf said: "That wireless was the only thing which got us back. Doug was marvellous; there was not a squeak from him, although he must have been suffering badly. He was one of the best wireless operators in the squadron. Nobody else could have done the job."

Directions Found
Soon the wireless was working, and picked up vital directions. The Wellington flew on and landed reasonably safely, in spite of the fact that a shell had partly shot away the port wheels, and there were only 20 gallons of petrol left — sufficient for five-minutes' flying. It had been a hectic trip, but the crew had the satisfaction of receiving confirmation that they had sunk the supply ship.

Pilot-Officer Metcalf, who told the story, is now an instructor in England. He spent six months in Malta in 1941, then went to Egypt. Later, spending a further two months in Malta. he bombed Benghazi. Tobruk, Naples and Messina. He also probably torpedoed an oil-tanker off Crete in August.

NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 16 MARCH 1943

[Dave Homewood]

Another Tobruk story....

AIRMAN'S RETURN

SERVICE IN AFRICA

SHOT DOWN OVER TOBRUK

One of the number of New Zealand airmen who have been brought back from overseas for service with the R.N.Z.A.F. is Flight-Lieutenant W. T. Eiby, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. N. Eiby, of 5 Woodley Avenue, Remuera. He was shot down over Tobruk at the beginning of last year soon after starting his second tour of operations and for some months afterward was helping ferry aircraft from the west coast of Africa to Egypt. Before going to the Middle East he had been in Britain and for a time was stationed in Northern Ireland and was convoying shipping through the Irish Sea.

Flight-Lieutenant Eiby was with a Hurricane fighter squadron. When he was shot down he was one of a number of fighter pilots trying to break up an enemy bombing raid on Tobruk when they were jumped on by the covering fighter screen overhead. He was on the tail of one machine when another dived down behind him and got his engine. He made a forced landing on the desert and says the only injuries he suffered were a few shrapnel scratches.

Ferrying Across Africa
As a ferry pilot he made about 16 flights across Africa. The route goes to Cairo and the flights, he says, average about four days. Losses are very small, and are only very rarely due to engine failure. The majority are caused by inevitable accidents. In addition to saving the time that would be taken in shipping the aircraft through the Mediterranean or right round the Cape of Good Hope, the ferrying of the planes avoids the danger of sinkings at sea. The route is beyond enemy bombing range. Convoys are generally of six to eight machines, it having been found that this is the best number to handle, having regard to refuelling arrangements at some of the landing points and to such other factors as the navigational difficulties of fighter aircraft in the weather and other conditions prevailing.

New Zealanders' Reputation
Flight-Lieutenant Eiby spoke of the New Zealand Division as being one of the best, if not the best, of the Middle East formations. He said its reputation was very high with everybody there. Of the New Zealand airmen, he said some were to be found in every squadron in the Middle East with the exception of those, such as the Australian and American units, which were completely national in character. Co-operation between the Army and Air Force, he said, had reached a very high standard.

Speaking of Cairo, he mentioned the anomalous feature which has impressed everyone who has spoken of neutral Egypt being a vitally important battleground. This is that Cairo shops, right up to the time he left the Middle East, were still full of luxury goods that were unprocurable in Britain. Such things as silk stockings were easy to obtain, although prices, he says, were invariably high.


NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 20 MARCH 1943