DUELS OVER NORTH SEN

Evening Star, Issue 23698, 4 October 1940, Page 5

DUELS OVER NORTH SEN

TWO HEiNKELS ACCOUNTED FOR GOOD WORK BY COASTAL COMMAND AIRCRAFT (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 3. (Received October 4, at 1 p.m.) Describing recent air duels over the North Sea, the Air Ministry news service says: A Heinkel 115 seaplane dived out of a dense cloud over the North Sea and dropped two bombs towards a convoy. Both bombs missed. Believing that he had the sky to himself, the German pilot made ready for a second attack, but a fighter of the Coastal Command escorting the convoy swooped through a cloud bank and with two machine-gun bursts set the enemy afire. The Hoinkel’s tanks blew up, drenching the nose of the Blenheim with oil. Near sea level the seaplane broke into pieces. Because the windows of the British 'fighter were so thickly coated with the enemy’s oil the pilot and navigator had difficulty on the journey back, but made a safe landing. Another incident occurred when, while a night patrol was off the East Anglian coast, a Hudson of the Coastal Command intercepted two Heinkel bombers. The Hudson singled out one Heinkel for an attack, manoeuvring so that both the front and rear guns could be used alternatively. The German was destroyed. The other Heinkel fired a short, ineffective burst at long range and then made off.