Evening star., 1941-07-17
Two Be|gians Escape
To England in Plane
Repaired in Secret
Ship Wos Reconditioned
In Barn Under Guns
Of Nuzi Sentries
BY DREW MIDDLETON,

a
LONDON, July 1.-Two youthful
Belgian airmen are being hailed as
heroes of one of the most daring
exploits of the war after their escape
to England in an old single motor
biplane they reconditioned almost
under the guns of German sentries.
Demobilized from the Belgian air
force when King Leopold capitulated
before the German march last year,
the airmen spent months seeking a
way out of Belgium.
Finally they found the obsolete
plane for which they had searched.
Once used as Belgian army train
ing plane, it was stored in a barn.
They found it at night by peering
through keyhole while German
army sentries paced their beat 4OC
yards away.
Working by the light of shaded
fashlight, they took impressions of
the lock and made keys. Once in
side they examined the plane and
found it intact except for instru-
rents which had been removed by
the Germans.
Made Own Instruments.
They separated to find materials
for instruments and then, working at
right-sometimes hiding in attics of
British sympathizers-the manu-
factured few crude instruments
such as an air speed indicator.
There was oil in the plane, but
the big problem was gasoline. And
that problem had an easy solution,
according to the younger of the two,
who is "a.
"The Germans wanted money and
We had money, so we got the gaso-
line" he said. They always want
money
Fuel and instruments were hidden
In the barn and for II nights the
flyers made trips to ready the plane
for its flight.
Sometimes as they worked they
heard the sound of the R. A. F.
bombing the Ruhr-it made us feel
better"
Sometimes they lay silent in the
gloom of the barn as heavy foot
falls of German sentries sounded.
Once when they we're testing oil,
some spilled on the floor. I'VE didn't
want to leave any so we soaked it
up they said. That took an hour
of our time and the nights are
short"
When the night for the escape
came. they found the lock on the
door had been changed They made
new keys and crept into the barn
only to find their fuel had been
stolen.
Stole Gas From Germans.
They got more but this time they
stole it from the Germans-and dis
covered it was ordinary fuel insult
able for use in an airplane motor.
So they distilled aircraft gasoline in
retorts hidden in the hay in the
barn
Finally, they were ready. They
trundled the aircraft out of the barn
in the still of night. The engine
wouldn't turn over A feverish in
spection disclosed the carburetor
vas badly regulated.
They fixed the carburetor and
when the motor roared to life they
took off from the meadow. They
didn't take time to warm the motor
because they didn't want the Ger
mans to get close. After what
seemed to them eternity, they said.
the plane lifted from the ground and
Just managed to clear the trees
which ringed it.
1T was very close" said the 25-
year-old, elder of the two I'VE
caught branches from treetops with
our undercarriage.
AS they left they saw lights on
the field below and thought they
heard the crack of German rifles
Wheeling nightly. the ship
climbed to about 5000 feet and
headed for England. German
searchlights probed the skies. but
never caught the ship in the beams.
The German anti-aircraft batteries
did not open fire.
Plane Dropped Near Sea.
AS the fugitives reached the sea,
the engine began to cough and the
plane lost altitude, dropping to
about a quarter of a mile above the
dull gray waters of the Channel
The flyers had no lifebelts or para
chutes.
Feebly at first, the motor picked
up. When they neared England an