Evening star., 1941-04-10
By GAULT mcgowan.


AT SEA WITH THE BRITISH
NAVY, April (NANA0 We were
in action for the first time today
against a visible enemy.
A Focke- -Wulf airplaine traipsed
about the convoy about midday
having a looks see Then, just
when it seemed as If the pilot had
finished his reconnaissance job and
was off home to report, he swung
suddenly toward the mass OF ship
ping and came flying straight at us.
Twas on the bridge of the Wickes
beside the commander and his
watChkeepers. All were wearing tin
hats and oilSkins Men not serving
the antl-aircraft guns or in key posi-
tionS had been advised to take cover.
Close up the guns!" ordered the
commander, through the speaking
tube. Men came tumbling on deck
from below to take post. Always
during escort duty, the guns are
manned with a skeleton crew. At
the command CLOSE up!'-the spe-
cialiSts gun layers, range finders
and the gunnery officers take post.
Caught in Time.
The timing was perfect. AS the
aircraft came into our sights, the
sky blackened with puffs of Archie
The Nazi bomber uived lower to get
a better view of his target, flying
directly toward our stern. Our rear
guns engaged him as he came at
lis.
His silhouette had grown from the
size of a bat to that of great Vul-
ture spreading his wings across our
vision 1t was the moment when
some gunners would have ceased fire
as if hypnotized and dived for cover.
Not so ours. AS he came closer, they
TOOK deliberate aim. We saw the
red trail of a tracer race at him
and shells burst angrily about him.
He Wobbled in his course, dived
lower and turned obliquely away
from us. Straight as an arrow he
sped toward the middle of the con-
voy, firing his machine guns filled
with incendiary bullets toward their
naked decks.
Then happened one of those acts
of Providence that come between
man and death. A sudden Squal
filled the air with hail. 1t battered
into our eyes so that we scarcely
could see; it drove across the convoy
so that it was wrapped in haze. 1t
hot Rnl ln 70 oil
for we saw his plane wobble, steady
itself to avoid hitting the maStS of
freighter and bombs fell harmleSsly
into the sea. One-tWo- three -four
the stern gunnerS counted the eX-
plosions. Sounded like depth
charges"
Turns Into Sun.
The Focke rose again unSteadlly. /.
He may have been hit somewhere in
the attack, for he made no effort to
return. Instead, when he had risen
to 1000 feet beyond the ships, he
turned and circled them again at a
distance while he gained height.
Then, when well to the port of us, T!
he turned into the sun and headed
for home in the south of France.
We were left unmolested for the rest /
Of the day.
Such attacks are being made with /.
increasing frequency on British con-
voys. Since Hitler has occupied Eu-
rope from the FiordS OF the Pyre- /
nees, his bombers have been brought T.
closer to the Atlantic. Cooperating
with submarines, they go to make up
for the lack of surface ships to meet |
the constant vigil of the British
Navy. Without crossing British soil,
they can fly north of Scotland or
south of Ireland into the Atlantic
and there attack shipping as it ap-
proaches the British Isles.
Such raiders have a lot of luck
But not all of them escape SO luckily |
as did the one that attacked us today. F.
Every one was cheered this evening
when it was announced over the air
that another British destroyer, H. M /
S. Holderness had shot down a
JunkerS 88.
The one-time U. S. S. WickeS is
hoping that very soon she may be
able to report the same.
One Fatality Results.
Today's fighting brought us one |
casualty. He was the man who fired /
the gun that nearly brought down
the Nazi. A wave dashed over the
ship as he was firing again. He was
swept against the breech and the
recoil hit him full in the spleen. |