Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-09-27
Fl ierS Who
MadeHiSt0ryBy
Battling Out


to earth when his parachute failed TO open
to tell all about only emphasizes the grim
Of pilots that you a plane anything
can happen-and does"
The flyer Major Peter Grechmismkn was returning to
his airdrome after bombing raid the German lines
and flew smack into heavy anti-arcraft barrage His
planes fuselage ripped and his flying instruments put
out of commission He that he had but chance
thousand of saving his ship he zooned up 5000
feet and ordered his navigator gunner to Jump He
intended to try to land his damaged ship safely But
1900 feet the motor caught fire Grechmismin
follow his in a hurry
He eaped clear plane and pulled the ripcord but
his parachute failed to open He dropped like almost
third Of mile but landed in deep and feathery
bank and was able to walk out Of II with minor injuries
When American fighter pilot Frank F. Adkins
forced to jump from his damaged plane during the fight
lover Java he found himself dropping down right in the
middle of japanese landing force which pouring
of O a beach.
BY sliful manipulation his parachute lines Adkins
was able TO land at point about 200 yards from where
the Japanese soldiers assembling their equipment
shore ground chute straps
he could sprint away the instant his touched the
earth.
But he landed in the jungle quite close to road
where startled Javanese pedaling bicycle the
direction of the Jap landing spot Adkins stopped him
by signs got the native to his bicycle
give him a ride the handebars.
Off they started but the best speed the
wasn't fast enough Adkins Japs
ready had opened fire down the road with rifles Before he
knew what had happened the dazed Java native found him
self on the handebars with Adkins pedang furousy down
the
The surprised Japs yelled when they saw such a prize
Adkins escaping them and let loose with machine
guns but ne mraculously his escape The scared
native scrambled and fed into the jungle few miles
farther the American picked up by a Dutch
officer in a
Another American Clarence Sanford found himself
surrounded by wild trio Of aborgnes after he forced
to quit his plane when he OF fuel patrol flight
the southwest Pacific swung ship in the
direction Of island Is miles to the o
patrol lane, hoping to glide safely TO the beach
When he was but three miles from the island the
lean airman realized he couldn't make and that his
bet to bale out while he still had enough height So he
went the side and oated down into the water After
hitting the Sanford Immediately oosened his chute
straps stripped off all his heavy clothes keep
1t long swim to shore but by alternately swimming
and floating through the sharkinfested waters
finally reached the beach staggered ashore and collapsed
the sand from sheer exhaustion When he finally
to- he found himself looking into the cold eyes three
fierce-lookng natives, of whom held a spear
chest and snarled:
you Jap?"
Sanford, lying there without on could offer
nothing to prove that he American flyer The
hausted said he just about be impaled the
long spear when the native hesated and squnted
fords chest For moment the pilot didn't know what had
aroused the aborgnes curiosity until he remembered that
he still had a silver crucfix around his neck.
Suddenly the native shouted Jesus number man.!
and in an instant attitude the three changed Their
scowls became broad whiteoohed grns and the leader
helped the amazed pilot to Then all three pumped
sanfords hand though he old pal
The friendly natives led the flyer into the
woods and for % miles the four tamped to the Bremen
mission where Sanford outftted with clothes
returned to his Australian aboard pearl lugger
another hair-breadth jump Dutch flyer his plane
shot up dogfght took to his parachute and landed
right the deck of of his warships The
munique told about this million
identify the pilot by
This Dutchman according to the report baled about
1000 feet after his wings had been a
point blank burst of machinegun fire Miraculousy the
Allied airman floaed straight through the
of battling planes and the upward fire of aircraft guns
the warships below him without getting hit
SO absorbed he in watching the dogfght the sky
that he did not look until he within
dred feet of the Then he amazed find himself
right prov a warship. BY few def tugs
his shroud lines this pilot landed right side up the
after-deck unhurt except for few bruises.