CEASELESS WATCH

Evening Star, Issue 23375, 19 September 1939, Page 10

CEASELESS WATCH

GUARDING BRITISH SHIPPING WORK OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 18 (Received September 19, at 11 a.m.) The Ministry of Information, in a statement reviewing the ceaseless watch that has been kept to prevent enemy attacks on British shipping, says when the full story can be told it will be a stirring tale. The statement describes the immense advance in flying boats and landplanes since the Great War, and goes on to review their part in reconnaissance and attack. Several submarines are already lying on the seabed, while others have been severely damaged. These operations, which have been going’on continuously in the past fortnight, have met with little opposition from the German air force. “ Two combats in the air have taken place. In one a landplane, a reconnaissance machine, was engaged by three German fighters. Their manoeuvre resembled the “ Prince of Wales feathers,” but it was not successful. The leading German machine was the only one able to bring fire to bear, and this was promptly returned. The port and starboard enemy fighters turned away from either side of the British plane, apparently with the object of attack mg later. They never had a chance for their quarry used nearby clouds and nothing more was seen of the fighters. The British reconnaissance machine returned safely with its valuable reports. This battle was more notable as the navigator and the gunner in the R.A.F. machine had to fight under great difficulties. Shortly before the combat started at a height of four miles above the sea the gunner had occasion to remove his oxygen apparatus in the rarified air and he suddenly became unconscious. The navigator immediately went to his aid and refixed the apparatus and attended him until he recovered. In order to do this the navigator had to remove his own oxygen lifeline and he too became affected. The two men had hardly recovered wtien the enemy appeared.” . In another combat a landplane attacked a German flying boat in broad daylight, chased the enemy away, and calmly proceeded with its reconnaissance.

The Ministry statement adds: “ Here again -it is gratifying to know that the It.A.F. machine was greatly superior in performance to the German.