ATTEMPT TO RAM U.S. BOMBERS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 190, 10 May 1944, Page 5

ATTEMPT TO RAM U.S. BOMBERS

Luftwaffe Tactics 119 NAZI FIGHTERS SHOT DOWN (British Official Wireless.) (Received May 9, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, May 8. A dramatic story of fighters and bombers “colliding all over the sky” is told by officers who took part in today’s raid on Berlin and Brunswick. One navigator said: “About 12 fighters slammed into us, and a few minutes later about 35 Melo9’s and FWl9o’s hit us again in head-on attacks. I saw seven of them go through one part of the formation and only three came out. I saw one Messerschmitt crash into a Fortress; both ships blew up and small pieces of metal rained down through the sky. We are reporting seven Nazis shot down.” A pilot said : “There were fighters and Fortresses colliding 'all over the sky. My ship flew through the wreckage o£ a couple. One FockeWulf came in so close to us that I thought he was out of control and was going to ram us. I nosed down, and he did, too; then he nosed up at the same time as I did. 1 don’t know" how we missed each other. A pilot reported seeing more enemy fighters than he had ever seen before, and another said he saw more dogfights today than in any of his other 21 missions. „ ~ Nearly 2000 Raiders. In today’s attack nearly 2000 bombers and fighters from Britain gave Berlin its second tremendous pounding within 24 hours and also made a heavy attaca on Brunswick. Flying Fortresses carried out the attack on Berlin and Liberators bombed -Brunswick. Strong forces of Lightnings, Mustangs and Thunderbolts provided the escort. A British United Press correspondent at a United States bomber base in Britain said: “Some of the Brunswick raiders reported that oyer 100 Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs rose through solid cloud to engage the raiders over the target area. Crews of the Berlin raid said' that the air battles were some of the most ferocious in which they had engaged. Some of the German fighters made suicidal attempts to ram bombers, and at least one succeeded.” Captain R. S. Johnson, a Thunderbolt pilot who ie officially credited with the destruction of 25 planes, claimed two more today. A United States communique, reporting on the many air battles over Berlin and Brunswick, says that the fighter pilots claim 59 German fighters destroyed, and the bomber crews claim the destruction of 60 enemy planes. Thirtysix bombers and 13 fighters are missing.