Evening star., 1943-04-07
Two Virginia Boys
Are Veterans Of Raj
Raids Over Europe
Soy Anti-Aircroft Fire,
Not Night Fighters, Is
Biggest Opposition

BY Staff Correspondent of The Star.
CANADIAN BOMBER STATION
IN ENGLAND (By MaiD Two Vir.
ginia boys in the Canadian Royal All
Force, wearily removed their com.
bat attire after a successful major
raid on Essen, Germany.
Shortly before both Flight Sergt
L. I. Thomas of Hillcrest West
Richmond, and Sergt. j. R. Sipple o.
Plymouth. Va, had gone on raie
over Stuttgart which had been ever
more perilous
Sergt. Thomas is the son of 6
former director of the Standard Oh
Co. Of New Jersey and god-son o1
the late Admiral Mark Bristol o1
Washington. Since he came to Eng
land Is months ago he has taker
part in 20 operations, starting with
the 1,OO0-plane raid on Cologne last
April. Just out of high school he
started his career as soldier with
the Canadian Black Watch, but, he
says, II soon got tired of digging
bitches and shoveling snow.
wanted action and I've sure got what
I was asking for.
Fighter Had Searchlights.
1.-The first 10 trips I was on we
had the bad luck to run into from
one to five night fighters every time
Our plane was attacked once by five
of these fighters with glaring search
lights mounted in their noses. Jerry
has been doing that for the last
nine months, but now seems to be
giving it up as bad job. The idea
Is to blind the bomber crew. The
usual tactics are for one to come
straight at you with searchlight
blazing while another fighter with
out any lights tries to come in from
the side and knock you down"
Caught in the five searchllghts the
only escape open for Sergt. Thomas
was to dive about 5000 feet. In
one of the Cologne raids he was
caught twice in the searchllght
cones, but the worst experience OF all
was when the bomb doors were
open ready for the load to be dis
charged and a fighter suddenly came
at them from underneath.
The Virginian has plenty OF re.
spect for the German defenses II
"the happy valley" as flyers here
sarcastically call the Ruhr. He has
had several trips over Italy ano
speaks of them disdainfully as
"pretty soft stuff"
After the Stuttgart raid, Sergt
sipple's nerves were shaken, for his
skipper, a highly respected officer
was among the rather large group
from this station who were killed
But the next night was perfect fol-
a raid, and he was ready to &C
again.
Flax Is Big Worry.
Sergt. Sipple has taken part In
is operations. His worst was a day
light raid on Bordeaux by three
Canadian bombers. His plane "go1
shot full of cannon shells" but he
himself was uninjured. He also has
had a part in several of the italian
raids.
ITS getting So, Sergt. Ihomas
says, that we don't mind attacks
by fighters much any more. Jerry
seems to be scared to death wher
you start at him. I think he's got
q lot of green fighter pilots"
It's the searchlights and the flax
they fear, and it is largely a matter
of luck whether or not a plane
gets "coned" in any of the heavily
defended areas. The pilots start
out, however. with a good deal ot
information on what to expect anC
often are able to avoid search.
light zone unless the Germans have
made a quick change in their ar
rangements. These are explained
so far as they are known, to every
body taking part in raid.
Both Virginians say they like the
life, in spite of its great dangers
They joined the Canadian force be.
fore the United States entered the
war, they explain, because they fell
1t was high time Americans were
doing something about it.