Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 1, 2020 23:05:52 GMT 12
GALLANT FEAT
AMSTERDAM RAID
N.Z. AIR GUNNER'S ACCOUNT
(Special P.A. Correspondent.) LONDON, May 29
On May 3, 1943, 11 Venturas of the 487th (R.N.Z.A.F.) Squadron took off in sunshine late in the afternoon to bomb power stations in Amsterdam. Only one of those aircraft returned, and every one of its crew was awarded an immediate decoration.
Although the story of these men who returned was passed by the British censor, the account was censored in New Zealand. Now that some of the New Zealanders who survived the raid are back in England, an eyewitness description can be given.
This is the story of Warrant Officer Urlich, of Hawera, who was air-gunner in one of the Venturas: "We took off in two flights," he said. "Squadron Leader Trent, D.F.C., of Nelson, led one 'box' of five aircraft, while Flight Lieutenant A. V. Duffill, of Yorkshire, led the other 'box' of six. We knew it might be a tricky flight, as we had to fly so far inland. We flew a few feet above the sea across the Channel, and the only sign of life I saw was a submarine. It was pleasant flying, and the visibility was good. We could see the fighter escort above us, but once we had crossed the coast and started to climb we lost sight of them. Intermittent heavy flak began to burst as we rose to between 7000 and 10,000 feet, but it did not worry us.
"Suddenly, through the inter-com., I heard, 'Fighters coming in to meet us from below.' In a moment about 50 German fighters were all round our formation. Five singled us out and began to follow us. Three came behind in line astern, the first about 600 yards away. They did not attack immediately, but when Flying Officer McGowan began to take evasive action the first one came in. He got in a burst on the port side between my turret and the pilot, but did little damage. The second one was a better shot. He broke a lot of perspex and wounded me in the right leg. The third chap really fixed us. He came in very close, raked us from end to end and hit me in the left foot. I managed to get a burst into him, and down he went with his engine on fire, but I do not know what became of him.
"The inter-com. went dead," continued Warrant Officer Urlich, "and we had a few peaceful moments until we were attacked from the front. I didn't see this one come in. He really smashed up the turret. I got nicked in the left side, and one of the guns was hit by a cannon shell and knocked out of its mounting. The nose of our aircraft was now on fire, and Flying Officer McGowan and the Canadian navigator came back and began to drag me from the turret. I remember noticing that we were practically over Amsterdam now, and that only Squadron Leader Trent's aircraft was with us. As I was watching it, a burst of flak blew its tail away and it went down in a spin. Mac put on my chute and pushed me out of the door. That was the last I ever saw of him.
"Later a German intelligence officer told me that our aircraft—S for sugar —had crashed, and he showed me the shoulder flashes of the crew. I do not remember much after leaving the door; I must have blacked out. When I came to, my parachute was open and I could see three more below me. I learned afterwards that they were Squadron Leader Trent, his English navigator, and one of our own fighter pilots. I landed on my one foot just in case the other was badly injured, but the chute opened again, dragging me along and across a couple of large ditchs.
"Eventually I was stopped by some Dutch civilians and they stayed with me until a German soldier appeared on a motorbike and chased them away. He stood over me with a revolver till an officer arrived. The officer asked me if I could walk. I said no, and he picked me up and put me in his car and took me to a Dutch hospital, where I was patched up. Then I was taken out and put into a cell. There was someone next door to me, so I called out and it was Squadron Leader Trent. He said he was ail right, but had banged his head when he jumped from the aircraft and had to have a couple of stitches.
AMAZING GERMAN INFORMATION
"We were there for about a week," continued Warrant Officer Urlich, "and then Squadron Leader Trent and the other officers were taken to Frankfurt, and I followed the next day. There we were interrogated. I told them I was only an air gunner, and knew nothing. The amount of information they already had from their own intelligence amazed me. They had all the names of everyone in our squadron, including mine, and they also showed me the flight magazine, only two days old. It probably came from Ireland."
Warrant Officer Urlich spent a month in hospital at Barth under the care of a British doctor, and then went to a camp at Heydekrug, in East Prussia, until July 1944, when he was moved to Thorn, in Poland. When the Russians advanced the camp was moved to Fallingbostel. Warrant Officer Urlich was finally liberated by British troops who crossed the Elbe. This operation against Amsterdam ranks among the gallant feats of the air war, for although the New Zealand squadron was outnumbered and its fighter escort apparently swamped, it carried on with its mission, led by the resolute courage of Squadron Leader Trent. One of the aircraft that did not return had an all-English crew, and Flight Lieutenant Duffill, who was the pilot, would have crash landed in Holland if he had not learned that two of his crew were seriously wounded. Later the squadron was equipped with Mosquitoes and in them took part in the famous attack on the Amiens prison. It is at present based near Brussels.
EVENING POST, 31 MAY 1945
AMSTERDAM RAID
N.Z. AIR GUNNER'S ACCOUNT
(Special P.A. Correspondent.) LONDON, May 29
On May 3, 1943, 11 Venturas of the 487th (R.N.Z.A.F.) Squadron took off in sunshine late in the afternoon to bomb power stations in Amsterdam. Only one of those aircraft returned, and every one of its crew was awarded an immediate decoration.
Although the story of these men who returned was passed by the British censor, the account was censored in New Zealand. Now that some of the New Zealanders who survived the raid are back in England, an eyewitness description can be given.
This is the story of Warrant Officer Urlich, of Hawera, who was air-gunner in one of the Venturas: "We took off in two flights," he said. "Squadron Leader Trent, D.F.C., of Nelson, led one 'box' of five aircraft, while Flight Lieutenant A. V. Duffill, of Yorkshire, led the other 'box' of six. We knew it might be a tricky flight, as we had to fly so far inland. We flew a few feet above the sea across the Channel, and the only sign of life I saw was a submarine. It was pleasant flying, and the visibility was good. We could see the fighter escort above us, but once we had crossed the coast and started to climb we lost sight of them. Intermittent heavy flak began to burst as we rose to between 7000 and 10,000 feet, but it did not worry us.
"Suddenly, through the inter-com., I heard, 'Fighters coming in to meet us from below.' In a moment about 50 German fighters were all round our formation. Five singled us out and began to follow us. Three came behind in line astern, the first about 600 yards away. They did not attack immediately, but when Flying Officer McGowan began to take evasive action the first one came in. He got in a burst on the port side between my turret and the pilot, but did little damage. The second one was a better shot. He broke a lot of perspex and wounded me in the right leg. The third chap really fixed us. He came in very close, raked us from end to end and hit me in the left foot. I managed to get a burst into him, and down he went with his engine on fire, but I do not know what became of him.
"The inter-com. went dead," continued Warrant Officer Urlich, "and we had a few peaceful moments until we were attacked from the front. I didn't see this one come in. He really smashed up the turret. I got nicked in the left side, and one of the guns was hit by a cannon shell and knocked out of its mounting. The nose of our aircraft was now on fire, and Flying Officer McGowan and the Canadian navigator came back and began to drag me from the turret. I remember noticing that we were practically over Amsterdam now, and that only Squadron Leader Trent's aircraft was with us. As I was watching it, a burst of flak blew its tail away and it went down in a spin. Mac put on my chute and pushed me out of the door. That was the last I ever saw of him.
"Later a German intelligence officer told me that our aircraft—S for sugar —had crashed, and he showed me the shoulder flashes of the crew. I do not remember much after leaving the door; I must have blacked out. When I came to, my parachute was open and I could see three more below me. I learned afterwards that they were Squadron Leader Trent, his English navigator, and one of our own fighter pilots. I landed on my one foot just in case the other was badly injured, but the chute opened again, dragging me along and across a couple of large ditchs.
"Eventually I was stopped by some Dutch civilians and they stayed with me until a German soldier appeared on a motorbike and chased them away. He stood over me with a revolver till an officer arrived. The officer asked me if I could walk. I said no, and he picked me up and put me in his car and took me to a Dutch hospital, where I was patched up. Then I was taken out and put into a cell. There was someone next door to me, so I called out and it was Squadron Leader Trent. He said he was ail right, but had banged his head when he jumped from the aircraft and had to have a couple of stitches.
AMAZING GERMAN INFORMATION
"We were there for about a week," continued Warrant Officer Urlich, "and then Squadron Leader Trent and the other officers were taken to Frankfurt, and I followed the next day. There we were interrogated. I told them I was only an air gunner, and knew nothing. The amount of information they already had from their own intelligence amazed me. They had all the names of everyone in our squadron, including mine, and they also showed me the flight magazine, only two days old. It probably came from Ireland."
Warrant Officer Urlich spent a month in hospital at Barth under the care of a British doctor, and then went to a camp at Heydekrug, in East Prussia, until July 1944, when he was moved to Thorn, in Poland. When the Russians advanced the camp was moved to Fallingbostel. Warrant Officer Urlich was finally liberated by British troops who crossed the Elbe. This operation against Amsterdam ranks among the gallant feats of the air war, for although the New Zealand squadron was outnumbered and its fighter escort apparently swamped, it carried on with its mission, led by the resolute courage of Squadron Leader Trent. One of the aircraft that did not return had an all-English crew, and Flight Lieutenant Duffill, who was the pilot, would have crash landed in Holland if he had not learned that two of his crew were seriously wounded. Later the squadron was equipped with Mosquitoes and in them took part in the famous attack on the Amiens prison. It is at present based near Brussels.
EVENING POST, 31 MAY 1945
