Evening star., 1953-03-13
Britain Charges Red
Murder in Attack
On RAF Plane
BY the Associated Press

BUM, Germany, Mar. 13.-
Britain charged the Soviet Union
today with a deliberate, brutal
act of aggression and murder in
the shooting down yesterday of
an unarmed Royal Air Force
Lincoln bomber near Hamburg.
Because of that attack by
Russian MICS, which cost the
lives of six British airmen, the
second Allied Tactical Air Force,
a NATO unit. ordered its planes
not to fly within 10 miles of the
Iron Curtain border marking off
the Soviet zone of Germany.
British, Belgian and Dutch
squadrons make up the I'd Tao
tical Air Force.
Yesterdays attack was the
second on allied planes by Rus
sian aircraft in three days. 1t
spread fear through Western
Europe that a state of unde-
clared aerial warfare exists. The
Western world appeared to be
in for months of tension and
crisis while the Soviet Unions
new Prime Minister, Georgi M.
Malenkov, solidifies his position
in the Kremlin.
But the United States and
British air forces challenged the
trigger-happy Communist fight
ers by flying as usual along the
iron curtain border today. The
Americans said they are bring
ing in 25 F-86 Sabre jetS-their
swiftest operational fghter-to
replace outmoded F-84 Thunder
jets in Germany. The British
directed RAF. pilots to be es-
pecially alert along the East
West border where Soviet fight
ers apparently have been ordered
to shoot on sight.
Strong Protest Filed.
A strong protest lodged with
the Russians today took no cog
nizance of a Russian announce
ment last night that the four
engined British bomber had vio-
lated the East German frontier
and had opened fire first on the
much faster and better equipped
MICS.
In tough words, the British
high commissioner for Germany,
Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, demanded
punishment of the Soviet flyers
and reparations for British lives
and lost property.
Sir Ivone's note was delivered
to Gen. VASTLY D. Chuikov, top
Soviet commander in Germany.
Earlier, Soviet authorities de-
livered to Sir Ivone a note from
Gen. Chuikov saying the Soviet
general personally had looked
into the case and could find no
guilt on the part of the Soviet
pilots.
Seven crewmen were aboard
the British bomber. The crash
killed four outright and another
the navigator-died of his in
jurieS before reaching the hos
pital. This morning the pilot
died. The Russians announced
the sole survivor was under
treatment for injuries at an East
German hospital.
Commissioners Meet.
AS the incident turned into
a diplomatic battle of notes,
the American. British and
French high commissioners met
here to consider what to do
about the attacks from Com
munist jets.
Sir Ivone's note said:
"At about 1890 hours (2:30
pmO yesterday, a Royal Air
Force Lincoln aircraft was at
tackled and shot down by So
Wet fighter aircraft in the Ham
burg Berlin air corridor near the
zonal frontier. I protest in the
strongest terms against this de-
liberate and brutal act of ag-
gresSion involving the murder of
British airmen. I request an
investigation should be under
taken Immediately by the So
Wet authorities and that those
responsible for this outrage be
punished and that due repara-
tion be made for damage to per-
sons and property"
Warned To Be Alert.
The United States and British
Air Forces announced that their
planes would not be frightened
out of the German skies by the
Soviet attacks.
The United States Air Force
which lost a plane to attacking
MICS from Communist Czecho-
slovakia on Tuesday-announ