Evening star., 1943-05-13
Bv GLADWIN HILL.


A UNITED STATES FIGHTER
STATION IN ENGLAND. - Capt.
Don Willis of Crawford County. Ind
An 9th Air Force fighter pilot. is
probably one of the few aviators
who have flown German planes
while fighting for the Allies in this
war
He also has the distinctions of
having fought for four countries in
the present Uar-Finland, Norway,
England and the United States
and of having gotten into the war
In the first place by posing as
Finn, although he looks about as
Yankee as Wendell Willkie.
Capt. Willis was working in Louis
vile, KY, but got bored and went to
New York on vacation, checked In
at hotel, and
IN the bar this guy. Finn. starts
telling me about Finland and their
fights with the Russians.
He brought out his violin, and
started playing sad Finnish music.
He began to cry, and 1 began to
cry. and pretty soon he decided I
should join the Finnish Air Corps.
The next day we went to the
Finnish Embassy. He tells them a
sad story about how I am really a
Finn although I live in America
and talk like guy from Crawford
County. Ind.
When he tells them am also one
of the best pilots in America. the
guy at the embassy says yes, I do
look like Finn, don't l, and gives
me passport,
I'm Finland I few with Danish
outfit. There was an American
major there named Bonderant. from
Cairo, Ill. He had quite a reputa-
ton in the last war. :.
Capt. Willis is laconic about his
experiences with the Firms. When
they surrendered, he and Maj. Bon
derant got away in a car to Norway
and joined the naval air force. His
squadron consisted of nine captured
German Heinkel lis seaplane bomb
ers, which were handy in offensive
work against Germans.
There were about 5000 Germans
surrounded on a hill near Narvik
for a long time he recalls. They
wouldn't surrender, and We bombed
them regularly, but l don't think
they ever fired A shot at us in anger
because of our Heinkel ll5's.
We heard on the radio one night
that the Norwegian King had
landed safely in England. The
Germans hit Norway in about four
places at once and things were
pretty disorganized. Our command
er said if the government was in
England, he didn't know who We
we're fighting for. He told us to
take of for the British Isles"
So you had the curious picture of
an American in the Norwegian air
force landing with squadron Of
German planes in the Shetland Is
lands
They took A. pretty dim view of
lis coming in there in Heinkels, but
We finally got cleared and I Joined
the RAF." With the Eagle Squad
ron he transferred over to the
United States Air Forces last Sep
tember
He now has q total Of 81 opera
tions over enemy territory to his
credit, but doesn't make much of it
''As a matter of fact, l don't think
I ever knocked an enemy plane
down" he says casually. This
fighting doesn't happen the way
people think it does. 1t isn't thai
exciting
In the Eagle Squadron, his uni
concentrated on enemy shipping.
We drove those smaldl German
boats right out of the Channel Z
squadron of fighters can lick de
stroyer easily. Sooner or later some
one hits steam pipe or somethin,
vital. The thing stops, and yo'
have it."
Now he is one of the flyers VIII,
have been escorting the Fortresse
and Liberators in their raids o
Europe He thinks the America
hombers are great stuff. and. as
fighter. that their claims OF enem
victims are not excessive