AIR AGE: In a South Wind

The Flagship Ethiopia, a Swedish-owned Bristol freight plane, refueled at Catania, in Sicily, and took off for Rome in a sirocco storm. Aboard were a crew of four and 21 passengers, all Swedish pilots and mechanics homebound after delivering in Addis Ababa 16 surplus Swedish light bombers for Emperor Haile Selassie's tiny but growing air force.

About an hour after the takeoff, Master Sergeant Sutre Paijkull, in a rear seat, idly watched one of the Bristol's two propellers bite into a milky fog. Through a sudden rift he saw a mountain ahead, heard...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!