Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2023 13:10:11 GMT 12
PERILS IN AIR
FLIGHT OVER GERMANY
NEW ZEALANDER'S STORY
HAZARDOUS NIGHT ORDEAL
Hazards and thrills on a recent reconnaissance flight over north-west Germany were related by a young unnamed New Zealand airman in a broadcast yesterday from London. The narrative appears to amplify a brief account cabled from London last week or what was then described as an amazing feat of airmanship by two New Zealanders, a former schoolmaster from Gisborne and a woolbuyer from Masterton. The few details then published pointed to the likelihood of the pilot of the machine being Flying-Officer Kenneth Gray, of Gisborne.
The machine took off from its base in England at nine o'clock on a moonlight night, said the radio speaker yesterday, and settled down on its course. In half an hour they were flying through heavy, towering clouds at 15,000 feet and in 47 degrees of frost.
Lightning and Ice
Two hours out from home they started to come down. The clouds were still thick and black. The gunners reported that strange blue lights and flashes were playing round the guns and they saw the same thing on the wing tips. It was lightning.
Ice began to form on the control column, the instrument panels and the inside of the windows. As they thought they were about over their objective they started to come down. At 2000 feet they found they were just over Germany, evidence of good navigation. The machine was picked up by the beam of a searchlight and so they went up into the clouds again until they were clear of the light. Once again they came lower. It was now snowing.
The front gunner came back from his cockpit to see them and his head and shoulders were coated with snow. Shortly afterward a blinding flash and a bump carried away the trailing wireless aerial.
Pursued by Fighters
Realising that they would see nothing in the conditions ruling they set their course for another objective. The tail gunner then reported that there were German fighters on their tail, so they climbed to 19,500 feet. Suddenly the machine became uncontrollable and dropped like a stone to 1500 feet. They thought they would have to land on the sea and the navigator started to prepare the rubber dinghy, but at 500 feet the engines began to pick up and it seemed as though they would reach England after all.
While making their way back to England they could see below them rough seas tossing where the moonlight streamed through patches in the clouds. They saw a small light winking on the sea and circled round it.
Damage to Wings
Looking out, continued the narrator, it seemed to him that the left wing was definitely odd. He mentioned it to the navigator. "Oh, yes," replied the latter. "I noticed that a bit of fabric had come off the wing." Later he learned that the navigator, had seen the extent of the damage, but had wisely kept the knowledge to himself to avoid unduly alarming the others.
The port wing had been almost stripped of fabric and a large piece had been torn also off the other wing. With 350 miles still to go for home they encountered two rainstorms which they could not fly over or go round. Eventually they obtained three good bearings before the wireless ceased to function, and it was not long before they safely reached an aerodrome at 3.30 in the morning. Never had a happier landing been made.
"There we looked at the wings." said the airman, "and we almost died of fright."
NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 8 DECEMBER 1939
FLIGHT OVER GERMANY
NEW ZEALANDER'S STORY
HAZARDOUS NIGHT ORDEAL
Hazards and thrills on a recent reconnaissance flight over north-west Germany were related by a young unnamed New Zealand airman in a broadcast yesterday from London. The narrative appears to amplify a brief account cabled from London last week or what was then described as an amazing feat of airmanship by two New Zealanders, a former schoolmaster from Gisborne and a woolbuyer from Masterton. The few details then published pointed to the likelihood of the pilot of the machine being Flying-Officer Kenneth Gray, of Gisborne.
The machine took off from its base in England at nine o'clock on a moonlight night, said the radio speaker yesterday, and settled down on its course. In half an hour they were flying through heavy, towering clouds at 15,000 feet and in 47 degrees of frost.
Lightning and Ice
Two hours out from home they started to come down. The clouds were still thick and black. The gunners reported that strange blue lights and flashes were playing round the guns and they saw the same thing on the wing tips. It was lightning.
Ice began to form on the control column, the instrument panels and the inside of the windows. As they thought they were about over their objective they started to come down. At 2000 feet they found they were just over Germany, evidence of good navigation. The machine was picked up by the beam of a searchlight and so they went up into the clouds again until they were clear of the light. Once again they came lower. It was now snowing.
The front gunner came back from his cockpit to see them and his head and shoulders were coated with snow. Shortly afterward a blinding flash and a bump carried away the trailing wireless aerial.
Pursued by Fighters
Realising that they would see nothing in the conditions ruling they set their course for another objective. The tail gunner then reported that there were German fighters on their tail, so they climbed to 19,500 feet. Suddenly the machine became uncontrollable and dropped like a stone to 1500 feet. They thought they would have to land on the sea and the navigator started to prepare the rubber dinghy, but at 500 feet the engines began to pick up and it seemed as though they would reach England after all.
While making their way back to England they could see below them rough seas tossing where the moonlight streamed through patches in the clouds. They saw a small light winking on the sea and circled round it.
Damage to Wings
Looking out, continued the narrator, it seemed to him that the left wing was definitely odd. He mentioned it to the navigator. "Oh, yes," replied the latter. "I noticed that a bit of fabric had come off the wing." Later he learned that the navigator, had seen the extent of the damage, but had wisely kept the knowledge to himself to avoid unduly alarming the others.
The port wing had been almost stripped of fabric and a large piece had been torn also off the other wing. With 350 miles still to go for home they encountered two rainstorms which they could not fly over or go round. Eventually they obtained three good bearings before the wireless ceased to function, and it was not long before they safely reached an aerodrome at 3.30 in the morning. Never had a happier landing been made.
"There we looked at the wings." said the airman, "and we almost died of fright."
NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 8 DECEMBER 1939
