Evening star., 1942-09-09
BY IVES GALLAGHER,


WITH THE UNITED STATES
AIR FORCES FLYING FORTRESS
COMMAND SOMEWHERE IN
ENGLAND, Sept. 9.-"Just like
shooting squirrels back in Arkansas.
That's what Tail Gunner Sergt
Felix Trice, 81, of Stuttgart, Ark.
said of shooting down one OF the
famed Goering squadron's yellow
nosed Focke-W 1905 Monday dur
ing the Flying Fortress raid on
Rotterdam.
Col. Frank A. Armstrong, COM
mander of the Fortress squadrons,
who has led six of their raids per-
sonally, said the German fighters
made futile suicide attempts" Sun
day and Monday to halt the big
bombers' string OF successful raids
Il had to pull out of line to keep
one from ramming me when we
bombed the aircraft factory at
Meaulte," Col. Armstrong said.
"They tried to stop us at all costs
Fighters sprang up from everywhere
like mushrooms when we crossed
the coast They sent about $50
up-IDO at our fighter escort and so
at U.s."
Approached Within IT'S Yards.
The next day, when the Foftresses
encountered the Focke -Wulf squad
ron again on the Rotterdam raid
Sergt. Trice was credited with bag
ging the only F-W 1870 he has had a
chance to shoot at in eight flights
over Occupied Europe.
HE came up to about ITS yards
and I just let him have it." the
young gunner said. "It wasn't even
as exciting as the time I shot my
first squared back in Arkansas"
Upper Turret Gunner Sergt.
Christy Faith, %, of Hagerstown.
Md, who also shot down an F-W
100, said:
"I let fly and he burst into flames
and went down In spin"
Waist Gunner Sergt. Melvin
Bahnmiller, %, of Ann Arbor, Mich,
could not share his flying mates
views. His hand froze when he had
to change his oxygen mask and he
could not operate his gun.
Il just sat there. and watched
them come in, thinking now we're
going to get it," he said. Finally
l got so mad I just took the frozen
hand and gave the gun a bang and
it started working"
Looked as Big as House.
First 1t. Edward r. Neff, Mara
thon, Fla, a co-pilot, chimed in:
I'll never forget that first yellow
nose that attacked. I looked back
and it's cowling looked as big as a
house.
Cannon fire was popping right in
front of us and when one Of those
things land in the cockpit It's kind
of tough"
One reason given by the airmen
for the Nazis' losses in the Monday
raid, when a small Fortress forma-
ton shot down II German fighters,
was that the enemy was desperate
to knock down at least one plane.
They came in so close you could
knock them off with baseball bat,
declared First 1t. Clarence Thacher,
"a, of Kissimmee, Fla, pilot of the
"Kissy- -Me-Cowboy" credited with
five "probables." ~
Getting Into Their Hair.
Maj. Paul Tibbetts, %, of Miami
Fla, pilot veteran. of five Fortress
flights, also believed that the Ger
man fighters had been ordered to
halt the raids at all costs.
I'VE are getting into their hair
he said They sure put the heat
on and its getting tougher each time
over, but if we see. them first they
cannot hurt us.
IF I had to attack Fortress
wouldn't know how to do it. Over
Rotterdam we were attacked for 10
minutes, but took evasive action all
over the sky and they didn't put one
in U.S."
In the earlier LIE Trait raid two
motors Of Maj. Tibbetts' plane were
shot up and cannon shell from an
F-W 100 burst in the cockpit, but he
brought his plane home.
Col. Armstrong said one of the