Show Twenty Years Flying 1 Experience Given By W. W O. O Bunge i After fter the World Var War Holland had among her citizens the famous T- T Anthony Fokker who was the foremost designer and build build- builder J er e of airplanes of that time having designed the Fokker air- air 1 plan used by the Germans so successfully after the British had turned it down downS He also designed the mechanism by means of which the firing of the machine gun is so synchronized zed to the shaft crank-shaft that it is possible to fire thru the blades without hitting them Queen needed a bet bet- better ter communication system to her possessions in the East Indies and anda nd a wealthy Dutchman Mr who vho possessed much vision offered private capital to help form the Royal Dutch Airlines which be- be become come part private and part govern govern- government government government ment owned Mr Ir Fokker designed and built planes for them The Dutch have always been great sea faring people and great They flew their Fokker planes into all the principal cities of f Europe They enjoyed the friend friend- friendship friendship ship hip of all the nations In the fall f of 1939 they were to have a great festival celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their th ir r existence The war caused these plans to be can- can celled Early Earb in the twenties the Dutch pilots flew their Fokker planes down to he Colonial possessions The planes were very slow con con- contrasted contrasted contrasted to American Americ n DC in use today It was a long tiresome air journey yet by far much faster than any other mode It was the longest single airline in the world and the most romantic Many Am Am- American American pilots have yearned to be privileged to fly for the Dutch on their romantic network of lines among among them an airline pilot on United Airlines named Werner Verner O. O Oj 1 A in- in j ae r lJ r df War Var V r in 10 the infantry and while y in the army of occupation transferred to the First Aero Squad Squadron ron then stationed in i Germany Mr Bung relates the first duties infantryman trans trans- transferred transferred transferred to the Air service were al- al always I ways to do kitchen police poli e and to wash vash wings w tails and sides of air air- airo airplanes air air- o planes Sometimes there was a plane plane with a LeRhone rotary en- en engine engine engine gine which used castor oil and threw thre it out in a wide spray while flying One can imagine what a amess amess amess mess that left to be washed up The First Aero Squadron was wasi i r sent to the United States on Aug 1 1 1919 Our first field was Park ParkField ParkField ParkField Field Tennessee where we assem assem- assembled bled lcd DeHaviland airplanes that were stored there in crates It was vas was in one of these assembled lands that I got my first air air ride Later in the year 1919 I was ap ap- appointed apPointed ap- ap pointed to be a flying cadet in the U. TJ S. S school of Military Aeronautics tics which was then at Carlstrom CarIstrom Field Arcadia Florida Luckily I was among mong those to go o to advanced training to Kelly Field Texas and then to top off our education my class dass was sent to Langley angl y Field iel Virginia in the spring ot 1 1 1 to 10 participate in the air service service tests I conducted under Gen William Villiam Mit Mit- Mitchell Mitchell Mitchell chell to determine the effect of air bombs on capital ships We Ve went out to sea about SO miles to sink these ships They were German warships turned over to the United States These experiments were highly successful After graduation was commis commis- commis commissioned commissioned 2nd in the air service officers officer's reserve reserVe corps and dis dis- discharged dis- dis charged I enlisted and became trouble shooter and flying lying instructor tor tord yd did one and one-half one years duty in the air corps as a Second and First Lieutenant My Career also includes several years of barnstorming and one summer as personal pilot for Mr Walter Valter J. J Kohler Kobler during his campaign for Governor of oE Wisconsin o Thereupon followed ten tel uninterrupted te years ol ot airline flying as Captain for United A c Early in the last decade the Mel Mel- Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne bourne race won by a Dutch pilot I in an American plane proved the I of our equipment So the 1 z LM 1 Royal Dutch Airlines rc- rc replaced e- e et t placed most of her with Douglas planes and with American f C motors In the spring of 1939 1 I II I joined two other Americans to fly for Two others were al already al- al already already ready there They had gone to Hot Hoi Hoiland Holland land the year before and anti paved the way for the other three There were also als Danish Russian German Germar Australian and Swedish pilots with One Swedish Count broth broth- in law to Mr Herman Goering vas w-as as among our international group The Dutch gave me a ticket o othe on the Zaandam a small new on one class boat The trip across was un un- uneventful Uni i- i eventful I took Dutch lessons lesson from a kindly kindl Dutch gentleman o othe on the boat Over there we were im im- immediately immediately im- im immediately mediately put to flying to all th the principal cities of Europe Berlin Paris aris London Liverpool Stock- Stock Stockholm Stockholm holm Malmo Copenhagen Frank- Frank Frankfort Frankfort fort ort Bosle Zurich Oslo Christians and nd Vienna Hamburg I and Cologne were on our schedule All too ro- ro romantic romantic mantic for words We Ve had a few hours over lay at each place Some- Some Sometimes Sometimes times all night Most often we were home at night When my family followed me over ocr four months later they the were given passage on the Nieuw Am- Am I happened tp to be on my way wa home from London and met the he Nieuw Amsterdam out in the English inglish channel as she was as ap- ap approaching apProaching the Hook of Holland I circled the boat several times and my family famil and all the passengers sere thrilled Immediately before the war start- start started started ed d we were very busy We Ve would sometimes be in Berlin and London and nd Paris on consecutive days I took ook a load of Dutch gold out of London ondon at night a couple of days before England declared war After the lie hostilities actually started 1 France England Belgium Ger- Ger Germany Germany many nany and Holland aid part of Denmark enmark rk closed the air over their countries Holland Belgium and England each cach left a narrow corri- corri corrior corridor dor or thru which we wc could fly to the sea but we ve had to stay out beyond rit Sc wc w ni nion on n a service to Scandinavia dail daily and nd three e to the south coast of England ingland and one to Belgium via the North orth Sea and the corridors On Onne one ne of these trips a friend of mine I was vas attacked from the rear rear and fifty bullets were fired thru his plane by it l German A Swedish passenger was vas killed After that all of our planes were painted orange and the he name HOLLAND painted all allover allover allover over the plane in large letters letter and I we c were not attacked again I made quite a few of these North Sea trips rips but spent most of my time fly- fly flying flying ing ng on the Indies route The north- north northwestern western terminal had been transfer transfer- transferred red to Naples Italy We Ve left Am Am- Amsterdam Amsterdam by train with the mail and passengers and after a couple of days das of rest in Italy started off on ona ona ona a trip of kilometers miles The first day we flew via Athens Greece to Alexandria Alexandri Egypt Alexandria was a night stop The following day we made Jerusalem Bagdad and stayed over over- overnight overnight overnight night at Basra in The day dar took us over the Persian Gulf Gull to Jask Karachi and Jodhpur In In- dia Calcutta and a night stop st p at a Rangoon Burma was the schedule for the fourth day On the fifth day we flew over jungles jUn les to I Bangkok Siam thence to Island and on the north enc end of Sumatra We Ve went went as far as I Singapore on the fifth day The jungles between Rangoon am and Bangkok still hold the fate ate of sev several sev- sev several eral air travelers who were forced to land there On the last day we had only 1000 kilometers to go stopping at Palem bang and Batavia briefly to cx- cx exchange change lange loads We Ve then hopped vcr over a range of mountains to Ban- Ban where we for a weeks rest cst before our return to Europe Wild Hid boar hunting tennis fishing etc c. c were on the program for the pilots if they chose to in- in in- in Our O ur passengers on these trips I were a mixed bunch The greatest r i percentage were Dutch business I men commuting between Holland and nd her possessions Others were business men of all nationalities and nd passports Many American oil experts rode with us Our freight consisted of American moving pic- pic picure picture ture ure films and Swiss watches destin destined ed d for various ports in Asia and the he straits Many other similar ar- ar articles tides were sent by freight including including ing ng automobile parts from the United States The mail was mostly correspondence Holland and Java but we also handled lo local local local cal mail On my seventh trip while pass pass- passing passing passing ing thru Calcutta we received wort word by telephone to one of our pas pas- passengers pass passengers s n ers from San Francisco that tha Holland was being invaded and all I communications cut off This hit us like a thunderbolt It meant that the head of our company was be be- being being being ing severed from the rest We Ve had hada L I a load of passengers their destina destina- destination tion being bei Java so we continued on L J Please 1 lease Turn to Page 4 Twenty venty Years Flying Experience Given By W. W 0 O. Bunge Bun ge Continued from page One to Java and were two weeks idle wondering whether hether we would ever fly for KL M. M again All of the members of the various crews had their respective families in the vicin vicin- vicinity ity i y of Amsterdam or Rotterdam Any An attention they might need was impossible to give gi and the suffer suffer- suffering suffering ing these men underwent while worrying about their families was terrific but the Dutch members of my crew bore it bravely and quiet quiet- ly My family was in Italy and Mussolini was making hostile tures It was expected that Italy would go to war at any moment The desire de ire to get back to Naples and help the family famil get back to America was strong trong The head of the the Colonial Air Line Mr Vcr Ver Steeg decided to reorganize our line and operate it it We re had seven ships All the others were caught in Holland HolI d dor n. n or had p ran nl rl tn r. r J 1 1 k r J w GUU W 1 C they were held for war ar service Of the pilots only seven Dutchmen were left plus five Americans Our German pilot had been taken off his plane when he landed at Cal Cal- Calcutta Calcutta Calcutta on the day England declared war ivar and thrown in the Calcutta concentration camp Our Australian pilot was grabbed for military ser ser- service service service vice together with his plane when he landed at Shoreham England to move equipment and personnel pet per onnel to England because of fear of Italy's entry into the war Our Swedish Count had bad gone to the aid of Finland and not returned and Danish pilots became enemies of England when their thil r. r th 1 1 was invaded so s I had i remained rel i d id idle I in Holland Mr Vcr Ver Steeg decided to operate as frequently as possible but to add to his worries the American Consul at Batavia refused to allow Americans to ride with K L L. M. M M quoting the Neutrality law which forbids Americans to ride on beli- beli gerant vessels So Mr Ver Vcr Steeg decided the Americans had best re re- re retUrn return turn to America to join the Ameri Ameri- American can army and help liberate Holland It might be noted here that the dif dif- difficulties dif dif- difficulties confronting were great He paid us off in full Cull in American dollars sent us back to Naples by consent of the Consul and prepaid our fare back to Jhc United States on the liners Man Man- Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan hattan and Washington My family and I came back on the Washing Washing- ton The morning after we left Li- Li Lison Lison Lison son at about a Ger Ger- German German German man submarine halted haIled us and gave orders to unload Our wireless operator protested that we a American The submarine then signaled the curt and ominous words Ten Minutes When Then the women and children had been load load- loaded loaded loaded ed into the life boats the submarine commander had identified us and signaled my mistake please go goon on Cn We Ve arrived in the United States on June and were more thrilled than ever to be he back on American soil We Ve can honestly recommend to anyone lacking in nationalistic spirit to Jo go and live in Europe for a while It is interesting to see sec other lands but as a perman perman- permanent ent home there is no place like the good old U. 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