Evening star., 1954-06-03
Belgian Plane
ShotUp bykIG,
Crewman Dies
Freiehter Limps Back
To Austria After
Attack Near Hungary
BY the Assoeioted Press

VIENNA, Austria, June 3.-A
Belgian freight plane was shot
up today over Yugoslavia near
the Hungarian frontier. Its radio
officer was hit by cannon fire
and killed.
Surviving crewmen said q
Russian-made MIG, bearing a
red star insigne, dived upon the
DC-3 transport in an apparent
attempt to force it toward
Hungary. They said the plane
opened fire when the Belgian
pilot ignored the MICS maneu-
verings.
Sabena Air Lines. operator Of
the transport, declared it was
attacked "by two fighter planes
of unknown nationality" Belgian
officials at Belgrade and Frank
furt also said they were in
formed that more than one at
tacker was involved.
The tranSport-carrying pedi-
greed pigs from Britain to
Yugoslavia-had a crew of three
Belgians and British co-pilot.
The Belgian pilot and a Belgian
mechanic were injured. The
dead radioman also was .
Belgian.
Two of the several score pigs
were killed.
Hit at 5000 Feet.
The DC-3, hit on the left side
by cannon fire at perhaps 5000
feet, made an emergency land
ing at Graz, Austria. The Brit
ish co-pilot took 20 minutes to
fly it back to Graz airfield.
The British Embassy here said
the DC-3 was attacked over
Maribor, Yugoslavia. This town
is about Is miles from the Brit
ish zone of Austria and about
so miles from the Hungarian
frontier. However, the British
co-pilot said the incident took
place at Murska Sobota, only IL
miles from the Hungarian bor-
der. The Austrian, Yugoslav and
Hungarian borders all are in
this general area.
1.-TWO cannon shells hit the
plane" the Embassy said.
A second transport in the pig
lift operated by Sabena Air Line
flew to Belgrade without Incl
dent.
The Belgian Legation at Bel
grade quoted the crew of this
second plane as having inter-
cepted a message from the at
tackled plane saying Soviet
fighters were after it. However,
the pilot of the second plane
had not seen the attack and
knew nothing about it except
what he had heard on his radio.
Tito Visiting Greece.
The Sabena planes have been
carrying pigs from Britain to
Belgrade. for the use of the
Yugoslav government, since
May "a.
The incident came while Pres
ident Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia
was in the midst of a state visit
to Greece.
The British co-pilot was iden-
titled as D. Wilson Belgian
Pilot Arsene Devreese received
two she'll fragments in his right
shoulder and was taken to a Graz
hospital.
Crewmen of the second plane
said at Belgrade that the dead
radio operator was Joseph Clau-
waert and the injured mechanic
Victor Sluyts.
The pig-lift was organized by
a London firm to fly 1900 pedi-
greed animals, breeding stock
bought by Yugoslav trade mis-
sion. Sabena contracted for II
flights from Britain to Yugo-
slavia and a Yugoslav air line
was scheduled to make others.
The last previous major in
cident of this kind in the ticklish
border zone developed November
19, 1851, when Red gunners
forced down United States
military cargo transport with a
four-man crew on Hungarian
soil. This plane also was flying
from a German airf1eld to Bel
grade.
The Americans, accused by the
Communists of spying, were freed
only after the United States Gov.
ernment paid a $123, sos fine.