Chapter 3 12 to 1: 10 Miles a minute dive; Man hunt.

MANY other Australians of these and the other R.A.A.F. and infiltration fighter squadrons have made names for themselves, as the following incidents reveal.

Sergeant Paul Makin, of Adelaide, South Australia, was on patrol off Cap Gris Nez (France) on the morning of February 8, 1942, when he was attacked by two enemy fighters. As the combatants maneuvered for position and exchanged bursts, Makin saw 10 more enemy fighters - Messerschmitt 109s, at that time Germany's foremost fighters - swooping down on him. Although outnumbered by 12 to one, Makin seriously damaged one Me.109 and succeeded in evading the others and reaching his base in safety.

One of the last Allied airmen to see the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen as they escaped from Brest to Kiel, was a young Melbourne Beaufighter pilot, Flight Lieutenant Bruce W. Rose. It was almost dark when Rose flew around the Scharnhorst. Skimming the water, he flew to within 100 yards of her, and then out through the protective screen of destroyers.

"It was the most hectic few minutes of my life," he said, in describing the incident later. "I have never seen so much flack before."

Rose had had plenty of thrills earlier in his war flying career. He first came into prominence during a commando raid on Vaagso (Norway), in December 1941 when he shot down a Heinkel 111 which was attempting to strafe our ships. In the following April, he drove off a Junkers 88 which was attacking a ship, and the day after that he destroyed a Heinkel 115. Later that month, Rose was flying a Coastal Command Blenheim when he was forced to bale out over the sea. In his jump, his leg was caught in the whirling propeller, and had to be amputated.

An artificial leg was fitted, and in the following October, Rose was passed fit to fly in operations and was posted to a Beaufighter squadron. It was as a member of this squadron that he took part in the attacks on the escaping German naval vessels.

Pilot Officer Jack Elphick, a member of No. 452 Spitfire squadron, was participating in a daylight sweep over the north coast of France, when his aircraft was badly damaged by flack and he was forced to bale out over the English Channel. The other members of the squadron circled about him as he descended, to strike at any German pilot who attempted to shoot him down, and continued to do so until a R.A.F. rescue launch picked him up. The rubber dinghy attached to Elphick's parachute probably saved his life.

Elphick was trained in Australia and Canada under the Empire scheme, and had participated in 30 sweeps over occupied France and had damaged two Messerschmitts and probably destroyed a Junkers 88 when he was returned to Australia after Japan entered the war.

Another member of No. 452 squadron, Pilot Officer R. J. Cowan, was in the attack on the escaping Nazi battle-cruisers. He had many operational hours to his credit and had found the Nazis cunning fighters. Pilots of Heinkel bombers, he reported, had ejected grenades from the rear of their aircraft in the hope of destroying their pursuer. They had also been known to throw overboard long streamers of thin wire to entangle the propellers of oncoming aircraft, and he had seen the effect of a special substance used by the Germans to give their aircraft sudden and terrific acceleration. Pilot Officer Cowan called it "Ha-Ha" gas, and said on his return to Australia that Spitfire pilots recognized its presence in German aircraft by the milky vapour the aircraft left as they sped away.

Flight Lieutenant Frank Coker, of No. 452, had more than 5oo hours' operational flying when he returned to Australia, 200 of them in Spitfires. He had shot down two German aircraft, taken part in many successful operations against German fighters, and attacked the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Another outstanding piece of work was done in conjunction with the commando raid on Bruneval. On the way back to England, four of the Australian aircraft were attacked by two Messerschmitts-the first time Coker knew that Germans had given battle when not in superior numbers.

Coker had a narrow escape during a sweep over France when his Spitfire was badly damaged by ground fire. A large piece of shrapnel passed through one of his wing roots and holed the oil pipe, narrowly missing the petrol tank. His engine "conked out" but he was able to make a crash landing soon after crossing the English coast. This was the engagement in which Elphick was forced to bale out, referred to earlier.

Because he was one of the hardest hitting pilots in Britain, Flight Lieutenant David William McCormack, D.F.C., formerly of Melbourne, once had the honour of commanding "Churchill's Squadron", one of the most famous fighter squadrons of the war.

McCormack had shown himself to be nothing if not versatile. The German soldiers who manned the heavily armed anti-aircraft ships in the North Sea knew him to their sorrow. For months he took part in sweeps in which these vessels were the targets, and he raked many of them with punishing cannon and machine-gun fire. On one occasion, his squadron swooped on an enemy convoy, and sank two "flack" ships, damaged five others, and sank a 4ooo-ton supply ship. Thirty Messerschmitt fighters gave battle, and in the running fight which ensued, two of them were shot down.

In the face of the fiercest anti-aircraft fire, the squadron later shot up eight Nazi E-boats. Two of them were sunk, two were left in flames, and the rest were put out of action

When his squadron was equipped with the new Hurri-bombers, McCormack led it in raids on German factories and barge concentrations, and shot up a number of gun positions and grounded bombers. In the face of enemy fire, and in some of the most hair-raising exploits in the air battle over Britain, the oceans which surround it, and enemy-occupied territory, McCormack always showed dogged determination and disregard for his own safety.

He was leader of a fighter squadron which escorted Manchester, Halifax, and Stirling bombers on a raid on the German battle cruisers at Brest on December 19, 1941, when more than 5o fighters were engaged in battles at the one time. Few of the Messerschmitts penetrated the British screen to the bombers, and all of McCormack's squadron returned safely to its base.

Born at Seddon, Victoria, in November 1917, McCormack enlisted in the R.A.A.F. in July 1940. After initial training at Bradfield Park, New South Wales, he was posted to Mascot for flying training. He completed his service flying training in Canada and his operational training in England.

T0 go down semi-conscious in a 600miles-an-hour dive with his feet jammed in the windscreen, and to live to tell the tale, was the experience of Flying Officer Desmond Frederick Burt Sheen, one of the numerous Australian fighter pilots who have been awarded the D.F.C.

Flying Officer Sheen received the D.F.C. for gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations. Sheen, who was attached to the R.A.F., received his training with the R.A.A.F., entering Point Cook in 1936, and taking up service with the R.A.F. the following year.

Sheen's exploits included an attack with a companion on seven Heinkel bombers; an adventurous journey from France to England via Algiers and Gibraltar; an encounter, as a member of a fighter squadron, with 20 German bombers which were escorted by 100 Messerschmitts; and a screaming out-of-control dive at 600 miles an hour from which he extricated himself. Less than seven years ago, Sheen could not fly.

In the operation for which he gained the D.F.C., he led three Spitfires against a superior number of enemy aircraft, of which he forced one into the sea and inflicted serious damage on another. Later he led two British fighters against seven Heinkels, and although wounded in the leg and ear, he continued the attack until a leaking petrol tank forced him to withdraw from the engagement.

When France collapsed, Sheen was attached temporarily to a reconnaissance squadron. His aircraft was destroyed by Italian bombers, and he managed to reach a port in the south of France, where he boarded a vessel about to leave on the trans-Mediterranean crossing to Algiers. To return to England, Sheen and his companions had to undertake an adventurous journey across northern Africa. Eventually they reached England by way of Gibraltar.

Once again in England, Sheen rejoined his squadron, and took part in some of the big aerial battles over the south of England. It was in one of these encounters that his unit, with others, attacked the 20 bombers escorted by 100 Messerschmitts. After a fierce encounter, his aircraft caught fire and he was forced to make a parachute leap for his life.

Five days later he was leading a squadron at a height of 25,000 feet when a German formation made a surprise attack from above. Sheen found that all his controls had been shot away and he had "collected some shrapnel in the leg, hand and nose". His oxygen equipment had been severed, and he lost consciousness.

"Some time later," said Sheen, in relating his experiences, "I became semi-conscious, with my machine going 6oo miles an hour in a vertical dive and completely out of control. I released my harness and sucked out on top of the fuselage with my feet
jammed in the windscreen. Finally, for no apparent reason, my feet came free, and by pure instinct I pulled the rip-cord. The parachute opened not very far from the tree-tops and they broke my fall."

Flight Lieutenant James Frederick Brough, 23, who was born at Perth, Western Australia, and lived at Hobart, Tasmania, gained his wings at Point Cook and entered the R.A.F. in February 1937.

He gained the D.F.C. in recognition of valuable services rendered, and coolness under adverse conditions. As a section leader, Brough had participated in most of the operations carried out by his
unit since the outbreak of war to the time of his award.

Flight Lieutenant Charles Gordon Chaloner Olive, 26, a Queenslander attached to the R.A.F., was awarded the D.F.C. for fearlessness in action and cool courage that set a splendid example to other pilots he had led, and contributed largely to their success against superior enemy forces.

Olive led his flight, and at times his squadron, on operations in France, and later throughout intensive fighting in the Battle for Britain. After air operations on May 28, 194o, he was reported missing, but was later found to be safe, although slightly wounded.

Entering Point Cook in January 1936, Olive joined the R.A.F. under the trained cadet scheme in 1937. Flying Officer John Reynolds Cock, when only 22, had destroyed seven enemy aircraft and gained the D.F.C. In August 1940, when in action against a large number of enemy aircraft, he attacked and destroyed a Junkers 88.

During this combat he was attacked from below and his aircraft caught fire. Although wounded, Cock escaped by parachute and fell into the sea, but was able to swim to safety. He had shown magnificent courage and initiative against overwhelming odds. Cock was selected on behalf of the R.A.F. by the R.A.A.F., and in January 1938 left Adelaide for England for training and service.

Flight Lieutenant John Aloysius Siebert, also of Adelaide, was 23 when he was awarded the D.F.C. late in 1940. Siebert received his flying training at Point Cook, gaining his wings in June 1938. He left the following month for England for service with the R.A.F. Siebert gained the award for successfully carrying out 200 hours' operational flying, many of the flights having been made in adverse weather conditions. His courage and determination in attacking the enemy had been outstanding, and he had a long record of consistently good work.

Acting Flight Lieutenant Charles Brian Best was awarded the D.F.C. for carrying out 26 operational flights. During night operations late in 1940 against enemy invasion bases, Best showed great ingenuity and foresight in planning his missions. His courage and initiative had been of the highest order, and the results achieved were highly successful.

Flight Lieutenant Richard Nigel Cullen, formerly of Newcastle, New South Wales, was awarded the D.F.C. for his great resource and courage while serving with the R.A.F. Cullen at the time of the award-March ig4i-had destroyed ii enemy aircraft. Displaying remarkable skill, he shot down five of his total one day in February that year, when he was with a formation of British aircraft which attacked a large force of enemy bombers, escorted by at least 30 fighters.

Wing Commander G. E. Sampson, a native of Brisbane, who entered Point Cook in 1928 and embarked for the United Kingdom and a R.A.F. career in 1929, was awarded the O.B.E. in October 1941. Sampson commanded a Spitfire squadron early in the war and was then posted senior controller in an operations room of the Fighter ,Command. He had been a fighter pilot for two years, and then an instructor. He did a flying boat course, was on naval co-operation duty, and served in Malta before the war.

Flight Lieutenant Bruce W. Rose, of Ivanhoe, who is known as "Australia's Bader" because he lost a leg in air operations, and continued to carry on as a fighter pilot with an artificial limb, was awarded the D.F.C. for gallantry and skill in air operations against the Luftwaffe. Since October 1941, Rose had shared the dangers and triumphs of a large number of sorties against enemy targets. The citation to the award stated that Rose had shown himself a brave and skilful pilot. His leadership, skill, and devotion to duty had been an inspiration. Rose was trained at Point Cook and was sent to England for service with the R.A.F.

Pilot Officer John Curchin, 22, of Hawthorn, Victoria, was awarded the D.F.C. for great keenness and skill as a fighter pilot in combat against the enemy. Curchin chased an enemy aircraft 30 miles out to sea and destroyed it. This was his seventh, enemy aircraft, and he had shared in the destruction of others.

Flying Officer Richard Lindsay Glyde, formerly of Perth, who served with the R.A.F., was awarded the D.F.C. for gallantry in flying operations against the enemy.

Glyde displayed great dash and offensive spirit in all his operations, and had accounted for four enemy aircraft.

Squadron Leader Charles Arthur Pritchard, formerly of Manildra, New South Wales, was the first Australian-born pilot to win the D.F.C. for success as a night fighter pilot. While serving with the R.A.F. he destroyed at least two enemy raiders during night attacks and damaged three others. His daring leadership and brilliant tactics had been a source of inspiration and encouragement to fellow pilots, the citation stated.

Pritchard's success was impressive. Night fighting was then a new art of war, and Pritchard stuck to it with pertinacity until he had mastered it. He was one of a number of Australians posted to this branch of Britain's defence because of their daring, adventurous temperament.

Pilot Officer P. H. Watson, flight commander of a Spitfire squadron in England, was awarded the D.F.C. for sterling leadership and capacity. He had participated in 45 sweeps over enemy-occupied territory, and had led his squadron on a number of occasions. Watson was born at Melbourne in 1915. He enlisted from Vaucluse, Sydney, in July ig4o, and was trained under the Empire scheme.

Squadron Leader Keith W. Truscott, of Melbourne, received a D.F.C. when, as Pilot Officer in No. 452 Spitfire squadron in England, he had shot down six Messerschmitts. The citation stated that Truscott joined the squadron in May, after a period of training in Australia and Canada. He had participated in many operational sorties against the enemy, and had displayed great courage and determination.

Truscott, who bore a charmed life, went from victory to victory, and was promoted to acting flight lieutenant, and then to acting squadron leader. He was awarded a Bar to his D.F.C. when his tally reached 12 enemy aircraft shot down. Truscott had taken part in an attack on an enemy destroyer which was severely damaged, and was last seen with black smoke rising from behind the bridge. Almost immediately after this operation, he assisted in the destruction of a German floatplane. He was once obliged to bale out in the English Channel.

Squadron Leader Stanley Gordon Stilling, an Australian serving with the R.A.F., was awarded the D.F.C. for a resolute attack on an enemy target in the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire, and although one of the engines of his aircraft was out of action, he resolutely brought it back to base. In carrying out such attacks, he had always displayed outstanding courage and extraordinary determination.

0NE of the most remarkable and thrilling adventures in enemy territory was that in France of an Australian Spitfire fighter pilot, Sergeant Pilot A. G. Roberts, of Sydney.

Quarry of a German man-hunt, he was befriended by a friendly Frenchwoman, gave his German pursuers the slip, and escaped into Vichy France, only to be arrested and interned by the civil police at the very moment he was congratulating himself on being free to rejoin his unit in Britain.

This story of conflicting emotions tells how he was taking part in an attack on occupied France when the tail unit of his Spitfire was shot off by cannon fire. Sent into a dizzy spiral dive at about 500 miles an hour, he decided to bale out.

The parachute descent occupied 15 minutes, and as he swayed back and forth between sky and land, Nazi pilots of Messerschmitts continually darted pas-, him, making the descent as he later remarked, more than usually interesting.

Fortune at first favoured Roberts, for he came down just on the right side of the barbed wire protecting a German aerodrome. Slipping out of his parachute harness as the Germans peered at him, unable to interfere because of the intervening wire, he did a smart dash for the nearest farmhouse.

The French peasants were friendly, and the escaping pilot made a quick change from the flying suit he was wearing to the clothes of a French farmhand. He then nonchalantly joined the throng which was curiously inspecting his parachute. When the hue and cry had somewhat abated, he set off on a 25 miles' walk to Calais, the nearest town, where he hoped to get a boat to row to England. There were still German soldiers everywhere, with rifles and fixed bayonets, "milling around like bloodhounds", looking for the missing parachutist. The hunt continued for 10 days, but the poor, simple looking farmhand walked right through them.

He reached Calais next morning, after walking all night, and feeling tired and hungry, he dropped on to a seat and fell asleep. He was not allowed to slumber long before he was awakened by a German soldier, who nudged him in the ribs and asked the way to a bicycle shop where he could have his brake repaired. By grunts and gestures, Roberts pointed vaguely, and as the German left 'in the direction indicated, Roberts left in the opposite one.

By mid-afternoon Roberts's hunger was making him desperate, and he decided to go into a cafe and demand food. For some time he sat outside reproaching himself for his wasted hours during French lesson when he was still at school. Eventually, when he entered the cafe, a Frenchwoman, after his first stumbling attempts at French, asked him was he the Englishman who had come down by parachute, and for whom the German pigs were searching. She assured him she was his friend, fed him, rested him, and next day took him to another place where he stayed for four days, carefully hidden.

On the fifth day, he was sent to "someone who did not like the Germans very well" - there seemed to be a large number of them in France - and he was given money and a bicycle and sent to a farmer 12 miles out of the town. Here he waited for a few days for a guide, who took him 70 miles nearer freedom. He linked up here with a Pole, also a former member of the R.A.F., and with another French guide and a forged identity card he set off for Gibraltar. When they were near their destination, the French police arrested him and he was sent to an internment camp near Marseilles.

Some time later Roberts and a dozen other prisoners attempted to escape. Three them, including Roberts, succeeded. Those who failed have not been heard from since. After his safe arrival in the British Isles, Roberts did a few more operational flights, and was then posted to another theatre of war, lest he should again fall into enemy hands and suffer accordingly.