Friday & Saturday

Sirs: Below is a copy of a letter written by Flying Officer Ralph Hope of the R. A. F. to his father, Mr. H. Donald Hope of Birmingham, England. Ralph Hope was flying a Hurricane Fighter during the incidents described in his letter.

It is to be regretted that Flying Officer Hope lost his life about three weeks later during flying operations over East London.

Here again his plane was badly shot up but this time was partly controllable. Rather than bail out and allow the airplane to crash and kill residents . . . Hope attempted to maneuver to an open space and lost his life in this heroic undertaking.

He was an Oxford rowing Blue and ... a nephew of Neville Chamberlain.

FRANK GARRATT Jamestown, N. Y.

Dear Father: We had a grand day on Friday with three patrols. On the first we had a glorious dogfight with about nine Messerschmitt nos which caught a proper pasting. I must admit that they were heavily outnumbered. On the second trip we had an uneventful brush with some Messerschmitt 1095. It was the last trip which was the most fun. About twelve Junkers type 88 bombers came in and, after losing two from anti-aircraft fire, were set on by some Hurricanes. As we climbed up to them we had the pleasure of seeing one dart past us, hotly pursued, large chunks falling off it and the starboard engine on fire. When we were at last in a position to attack there were only seven left, four in front and three behind. . . . We had a real field day making attack after attack--a few Me. 1095 turned up but did not hinder us. The Ju. 88s went down all over the place. The scrap started at 13,000 ft. and the bombers just pushed their throttles wide open and screamed downhill in a vain attempt to get away. We bagged the lot, the last three coming down in the sea. My ammunition ran out at about 2,000 ft. so I was unable to administer a coup de grace, but it had been a great day.

Saturday was not quite such a success from my point of view, as on our third patrol I lost my aircraft. We were at about 21,000 ft. when we got involved with a squadron of Me. 109s.

They got me before I even saw them, which is very annoying. I first felt a kind of funny bump, and as I turned to see what was up, my controls suddenly felt funny, a lot of red sparks and black smoke appeared round my feet and a cloud of white smoke, probably glycol, began streaming back from the engine.

The aircraft began going downhill fast. I slid back the hood and began to get out, my goggles were shipped off and my helmet began to lift up in the slip stream; I realized I hadn't undone my straps so I pulled out the retain ing pin and stood up, standing on anything which came handy (the seat, the instrument panel or the stick, I don't know really).

The air seized hold of me, there was a wrench as my oxygen tube snapped off (I had forgotten to undo it) and I shot out into the sky. The aeroplane disappeared.

It was nice and cool falling. I was head down, of course, but found the position quite comfortable; there was no sense of speed or feeling of falling. . . .

After a while I thought about pulling the rip cord. "What about giving the old 'brolly' a tryout?" I thought. . . . The canopy streamed out, there was a hard jerk, and there I was right side up, quite comfortable and floating slowly, oh! so slowly, earthwards. I was about 9-10,000 ft. so I had fallen free for about 8 or 9,000 ft. (from 18,000 ft.) and might have fallen further with advantage. ... A Spitfire dived down past me with a high pitched whine, but that was the only disturbance. . . .

The countryside looked pleasantly open, and after drifting quite a way I thought I saw where I should land. Two farm hands had the same idea. We were all wrong as in spite of attempts on my part to avoid it I came down in a spinney of young oak trees, pulling up short about 20 ft. from the ground, hanging in my harness. I managed to get hold of a trunk, pull myself over to it, get out of the parachute harness and climb to the ground where I remained quite still until I was found.

The army soon took charge of me, gave me a drink and some lunch and drove me back to Croydon.

The only damage I sustained was a hefty bruise on my right shoulder from hitting the tail as I jumped, and a bruise on my leg, and a torn trouser. . . .

Now I go about with my arm in a sling, feeling particularly good as I have been given a week sick leave.

Clear & Courageous Sirs:

THANKS FOR SECTION ON RELIGION, TIME, DEC. 23, AND THE IMPRESSIVE FRONT COVER. IT IS THE MOST COMPLETE AND AUTHORITATIVE REVIEW ON CHRISTIANITY'S CLEAR AND COURAGEOUS ANSWER TO NAZIISM DURING PERIOD OF SECOND WORLD WAR, A SERVICE WHICH I BELIEVE THE ENTIRE CHRISTIAN WORLD WILL DEEPLY APPRECIATE.

LOUIE D. NEWTON

Atlanta, Ga.

Sirs: Congratulations on the article of the year --the one about Niemoller. . . . You gave us proof that there is something in the spirit of man far greater than himself that will never give up the vision of freedom, decency and kindness. . . .

ROY DICKINSON

President

The Printers' Ink Publications New York City

Sirs:

May I express my appreciation ... for one of the finest pieces of religious journalism it has been my privilege to read.

CHARLES Ross HODGES Minister

First Congregational Church Hampton, Conn.

Sirs:

Your article on religion in the issue of Dec. 23 may or may not be justified as part, of your unfortunate war effort for England. But to an old TIME reader, it was the most, tendentious piece of propaganda which you have yet perpetrated. . . .

For God's sake, let's be frank! If we must, fight Germany, let's admit that our real motive is the survival of capitalism and not Christianity!

E. D. CRISCITIELLO

New York City

> If facts about a religious situation, are war propaganda, then TIME is guilty of propagandizing.--ED.

Geography & History Sirs:

In TIME for Nov. 25, I note your praise of

Kenneth Roberts' picture of "the desperate Tory defense of Ninety Six, a Virginia outpost."

Being a native South Carolinian, and a frequent visitor to the old settlement ... I must inform you that Ninety Six is still in South Carolina. . . .

R. I. MCDAVID JR.

Department of English Southwestern Louisiana Institute Lafayette, La.

> TIME erred; Author Roberts did not.

He put Ninety Six in South Carolina where it belongs.--ED.

Sirs:

After reading your article on Kenneth Roberts . . . may I nominate him for an especial niche in the American field of history and literature. Especially for his "anger" against historical distortion. . . .

What American histories of the Revolutionary War period would Mr. Roberts recommend to one who has an "anger" against history instructors that abet historical distortion ?

KEN MILLAR

Hollywood, Calif.

> Author Roberts, queried, recommends: Moses Coit Tyler's Literary History of the American Revolution, Charles Stedman's History of the Origin, Progress and Termination of the American War, William Gordon's History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the Independence of the United States of America, Thomas Jones's History of New York During the Revolutionary War, Sydney George Fisher's True History of the American Revolution and Struggle for American Independence, Rupert Hughes' George Washington (last two volumes).--ED.

Paragons, Legrees Sirs: As a member of Associated Farmers I protest the write-up in your issue of Dec. 16.

I am not a "gentleman farmer," nor are any of the rest of my neighbors who are members of this farmers' protective association. We mostly put in more hours for less pay than do those we hire. We belong to the Associated Farmers so as to be united in the defense of our homes against known Communists and their dupes, who have threatened us and are still threatening us. We need this or a similar organization just as laboring men needed their unions--to protect ourselves against injustice. Not every labor leader is a paragon of justice, any more than every employer is a Simon Legree. Our association believes in working through law enforcement agencies, and that the laws relative to assault, battery, destruction of property, and violence of all other kinds should apply equally to everybody, including labor goons as well as all others who break the law. . . .

W. W. EDWARDS Modesto, Calif.

"Good for Jon" Sirs: Good for Jon Cantelli and his defense of Italians [for their intelligence in running away from a war they dislike and disapprove --TIME, Dec. 23]. It isn't so long ago that most Americans liked men who hated fighting.

May the number of those who war only for what they believe is right increase.

JOHN S. HAMILTON

Department of Journalism New York University New York City

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