Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 6, 2021 23:44:17 GMT 12
THRILLING STORY
SEIZURE OF ALGIERS
NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN
SHARE OF EXCITEMENT
(United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Nov. 24, noon) ALGIERS, Nov. 23
Four New Zealanders of the Fleet Air Arm described their part in the seizure of Algiers as a “routine exercise, in which we were not called on to fire a shot.” But they had their share of excitement later when their aircraft-carrier was dive-bombed. They are sub-Lieutenants Lloyd Johnson (Christchurch), Jack Blacker (Auckland), Donald Cameron (Wellington), and J. Hale (Wellington). The latter, at twenty-two years, is the quartet’s “father.”
Their carrier was briefed to give fighter cover for the landings. Sub-Lieutenant Johnson said: “For several days we took off and patrolled the coastline and aerodromes, but did not sight a single airborne aircraft. Only four of our chaps got ashore. That was because it was too dark for them to land over the flight deck. There was more than one alert, but apart from gunfire from escorting destroyers nothing happened until the third night off Algiers. Then, just as dusk was giving way to night, 15 Junkers 88’s were sighted. We prepared for high-level bombing but they peeled off and came down hell for leather from astern.
Toppled Towards Sea
“Waves thrown up by near misses flooded the flight deck, but the ‘Old Man’ was throwing the carrier about like a destroyer, and when the Nazis roared off the clouds of spray and smoke dispersed and we were little the worse for wear.”
The four New Zealanders were able to make up for lack of action over Africa by manning a Vickers gun and loosing off at dive-bombers, although they admitted that their efforts were more energetic than accurate.
Sub-Lieutenant Johnson, sporting a nose scar, was questioned. He admitted that it was the result of a slight mishap. During a practice landing his fighter “jumped a bit” jand finished up on the edge of the flight deck and then slowly toppled towards the sea. Sub-Lieutenant Blacker said: “You ; never saw a chap scramble out of a plane faster. We fished him out and a doctor welcomed him with open arms. That’s the result—the neatest patched nose you could find anywhere.”
WAIKATO TIMES, 24 NOVEMBER 1942
SEIZURE OF ALGIERS
NEW ZEALAND AIRMEN
SHARE OF EXCITEMENT
(United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Nov. 24, noon) ALGIERS, Nov. 23
Four New Zealanders of the Fleet Air Arm described their part in the seizure of Algiers as a “routine exercise, in which we were not called on to fire a shot.” But they had their share of excitement later when their aircraft-carrier was dive-bombed. They are sub-Lieutenants Lloyd Johnson (Christchurch), Jack Blacker (Auckland), Donald Cameron (Wellington), and J. Hale (Wellington). The latter, at twenty-two years, is the quartet’s “father.”
Their carrier was briefed to give fighter cover for the landings. Sub-Lieutenant Johnson said: “For several days we took off and patrolled the coastline and aerodromes, but did not sight a single airborne aircraft. Only four of our chaps got ashore. That was because it was too dark for them to land over the flight deck. There was more than one alert, but apart from gunfire from escorting destroyers nothing happened until the third night off Algiers. Then, just as dusk was giving way to night, 15 Junkers 88’s were sighted. We prepared for high-level bombing but they peeled off and came down hell for leather from astern.
Toppled Towards Sea
“Waves thrown up by near misses flooded the flight deck, but the ‘Old Man’ was throwing the carrier about like a destroyer, and when the Nazis roared off the clouds of spray and smoke dispersed and we were little the worse for wear.”
The four New Zealanders were able to make up for lack of action over Africa by manning a Vickers gun and loosing off at dive-bombers, although they admitted that their efforts were more energetic than accurate.
Sub-Lieutenant Johnson, sporting a nose scar, was questioned. He admitted that it was the result of a slight mishap. During a practice landing his fighter “jumped a bit” jand finished up on the edge of the flight deck and then slowly toppled towards the sea. Sub-Lieutenant Blacker said: “You ; never saw a chap scramble out of a plane faster. We fished him out and a doctor welcomed him with open arms. That’s the result—the neatest patched nose you could find anywhere.”
WAIKATO TIMES, 24 NOVEMBER 1942
