The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-07-15

tIditEiC DdSt loI Allltu olItHSlNt
ritish torpedo bombers here are
cliffs of the islands shore.
four Hurricanes against force
of 2l0 enemy planes 49, ITO
bombers and 100 Messerschmitt
fighters.
Things began to look hopeless
for Malta The people were very
near starvation. AS pilots, our
ration for a day consisted OF two
thin slices of bread, little bully
beef. and the balance made up of
tomatoes and green stuff grown
on the island BY this time most
Of the Maltese were living in
caves in the rocky cliffs. and
they were becoming stupcfied by
the bombing All utilities were
disrupted.
The courage Of the people
then was something great The
children were especially cheer
ful and always would rur after
us shouting, "Spitfire pilot
Many Of them. taking too many
chances 10 watch the air battles,
were killed by the bombs.
The early days Of May were
the most crucial Morale was GO
ing 10 hell Air Marshal Sir Hugh
Lloyd called the pilots together
and told us we would have to
gain local air superiority or
abandon the island We we're told
that the Wasp. TO use Winston
Churchill's words, was going 10
sting again. bringing another go
Spitfires.
This time; feverish prepare
tons were made. Sandbag pens,
or rcvetmcnts, were built on
Maltas three airdromes suf-
ficient 10 hold all the aircraft we
were expecting from the Wasp.
Enough copiant, ammunition,
petrol and oil were stored in
each pen 10 make that enclosure
self-suppoyting. A ground crew
and pilot were in charge.
SAVED NEW PLANES
Our precautions were effec-
tive. Ten minutes after the
planes landed, on May 9, most Of
them were in the air again and
engaging the enemy.
The crucial battle came next
day. In the Grand Harbor was
the British cruiser Welshman,
mostly mounting anti-aircraft
armament and used for running
the gauntlet of the Sicilian mar
rows 70 bring urgently needed
supplies and ammunition TO
Malta.
About II a. m, the Hun sent
Is Stukas escorted by about go
MeSSerSchmitts TO attack the
WelShman in the harbor. We
were able to put 48 Spitfires in
10 the air The barrage from the
cruiser and the land batteries
was the most terrific thing /
ever have seen. The Stukas
dived through the barrage, and
those which survived were met
by the Spitfires about two miles
off the harbor.
] got on the tail OF one of
them, and after a six second
burst he started TO go to pieces
and crashed about a mile off
ShOTe Out OF the IS Stukas sent
TO get the Welshman, only two
got back 10 Sicily. In the after
noon came another attack, using
Junkers 88s. They met with no
easier fate That night the Rome
radio claimed the destruction of
~ Spitflres. We actually lost
two, and one of those was shot
down by our own flax.
The enemy kept attacking
during the next three days, using
fewer bombers but huge fighter
escorts. ! was shot down and
put in hospital on May IL. got
involved with about 20 Of the
enemy fighters and eventually
was sandwiched between one at
tacklng behind me and one doing
a head on. The one ahead hit my
wlndscreen with an explosive
cannon she'll and the splinters
put my left arm out of commits
sion
There is nothing the German
finds harder TO take than a beat
ing When he found he could not
get our aircraft aon the ground,
and that he would have 10 spend
- a -