FLYING UNDER THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE
THE YANKS DO IT
visits since 5 January 2000
1. ONE KITTYHAWK FLOWN BY FRANK
STIERTZ
2nd Lieutenant Frank Stiertz of the 7th
Pursuit Squadron of the 49th Pursuit Group, 5th Air Force USAAF was
considered a brash pilot. He had advanced to cross country flights from Bankstown RAAF
airfield back in February 1942. He angered local authorities when he flew his Kittyhawk
underneath the Sydney Harbour bridge. He was grounded for two weeks after this incident.
Stiertz was practicing touch-and-go landings at Bankstown airfield on 14 March 1942, when his right wingtip clipped a grader and the plane stalled. The plane crashed and caught fire. Stiertz died due to asphyxiation from the steaming glycol fumes.
2. TWO OTHER KITTYHAWKS
The following paragraph is from 18th Squadron
(NEI-AF) Newsletter of July 1994. The article was written by Nicholas Dijkstra:-
| On a beautiful Sunday in the month of May 1942, two US 'Kittyhawks' flew under the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was in Elizabeth Bay at the time, or near there, and saw them. Traffic on the bridge came to a full stop and people were excited. The following day it was the main item of conversation - everybody thought that it was a great stunt. Nobody had done that before! |
Flying under the Sydney
Harbour Bridge
during World War 2
Details of other flights under Sydney Harbour Bridge
REFERENCE BOOKS
"Protect & Avenge"
"The 49th Fighter Group in World War II"
by S.W. Ferguson & William K. Pascalis
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Heaps of WW2 |
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©
Peter Dunn 2002 |
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Peter Dunn's |
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This page first produced 5 January 2000
This page last updated 19 November 2002
AUSTRALIA
@ WAR
