Named by his mates as “King of Lampedusa,” the 22-year old London Jewish pilot, Sidney Cohen, who single-handed secured the surrender of the island of Lampedusa, is hailed today in every newspaper in England as an example of resourcefullness and bravery.
Cohen, who was a cutter in a tailor shop in the East End of London until three years ago, is now a Sergeant in the Royal Air Force. Last Saturday he was flying on a sea rescue mission with two mates, an Englishman and a Scotchman, when he noticed that the gasoline in his plane was running low. Compelled to make an emergency landing, he found himself on the island of Lampedusa.
As soon as his plane stopped rolling, Sgt. Cohen said, he saw groups of people waving white sheets, indicating that they wished to surrender. Two Italian officers escorted Cohen and his crew to the office of the commandant, who gave them a paper signifying that he wished to surrender the island to the Allies. Cohen and his mates then flew to Tunisia where they landed at an American base and gave the note to high military authorities who ordered the Allied landing on Lampedusa.
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