Evening star., 1942-07-06
Third Eagle Squadron
Makes Fine Record
In Year Of Service
Most of Members AIreud,
Have Asked for Shift
To u. 5. Air Forces
BY DAVID M. NICHOL,

BY DAVID M. NICHOL,
War Correspondent Of The Star and Chi
SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN
ENGLAND, July GA sharp-eyed,
fast-thinking group OF American
flyers in the Royal Air Force Is
holding down one of the hottest
spots In Englands circle of aerial
defenses.
The third Eagle Squadron Is not
yet year old, but its record is dis
tinguished. For three recent months
1t led the RAF fighter command in
the number Of hours flown monthly,
with more than 300 flying hours each
month. It can do its job because 1t
Is good, it was not singled out for
this assignment on any other ground.
A number of British squadrons are
flying as neighbors of the Americans
in the swift, fercely continuing
battle Of Britain.
Most of the members Of the squad
ron already have applied for trans
fer to the United States Air Forces
as 1t becomes active in this sector
of the world front against Hitler. 1t
would be a hard-hitting addition,
carrying hundreds of hours of flying
fighting experience against the best
the Luftwaffe produces, including
the new Fock-Wulfe zoos, which ad-
mittedly are good.
Prefer to Bomb Trains.
The Eagles scoreboard over the
door of their dispersal hut shows
flve-and- -one-half enemy aircraft
destroyed in single recent month
as we'll as a number of others dam
aged or probably destroyed. The
flyers participated in sweeps and at
tacks on ground targets of which
trains are favored by the pilots less
for strategical reasons than because
a locomotive pierced by cannon
shells blows up with satisfying
roar.
There was nothing at the time
of your correspondents visit to in
dicate the varied activities and ac-
complishments of the squadron. Low
clouds had closed in over the rolling
landscape, preventing any spectacu-
lar channel flying. Several pilots
garbed in bulky Mae Vests" were
ready to take their Spitfires roar
ing into the air within two minutes
after any alarm, however.
But the subject of greatest i'm
mediate interest was Herman the
German'-a toy dachshund puppy
given to one of the squadron men,
bers by an English girl. Herman
was tethered at the base of flag
pole above which the Stars and
Stripes curled in a light breeze and
was determined to invade flower
garden another pilot had planted
as hobby.
There's one Hun we can always
lick-if we have to-" one of the
flyers said half joking, half in
deadly earnest His best friend
failed to return from recent
sweep.
Like RATS Easy Discipline.
The flyers seem strangely old at
% and % but otherwise they are
no different from any similar group
of normal, healthy young men, Most
of them prefer the easy discipline
of the RAF but the higher pay of
United States officers. Most of
them are much attached to RAF
planes.
They fly themselves" was the
comment of one former Chicagoan.
1t must be admitted that this is
somewhat exaggerated. One need
only to look at the number and va
riety of instruments and controls
crowded into the tiny cockpit.
The most impressive feature of
any front line squadron is the ex-
tent to which the long and arduous
training and their own mistakes
winnow out those unable to take the
fearful strain of modern combat fly
ing. The squadron, originally
composed of eight pilots, now, of
course, includes more, but only three
of the original eight saw action. The
only one of these three still living is
now war prisoner. The second was
shot down in France and the third
in Malta after his transfer to an
other unit.
OF the other originals, one was
early compelled to quit because he
couldn't make the transition from
training craft to the faster, harder
pace of fighters. The four others
were victims of accidents, two of
which were in regulation training
flights, one the mistake of another
pilot and one the misfortune of
weather.
Copyright, 1912, by Chicago Daily News)