NAZIS' BAG-ONE DUCK

Evening Star, Issue 23699, 5 October 1940, Page 11

NAZIS' BAG-ONE DUCK

RAIDER'S UNUSUAL END BROUGHT DOWN BY OWN GUNNER RUGBY, October 4. (Received October 5, at 12.35 p.m.) It is reported that one German raider which flew over the Thames Estuary went duck shooting with little success. It dropped 10 bombs, all on' marshland, and the only casualty was one wild duck. A German bomber has been brought down by its own rear gunner. This unusual victory over itself was told by a squadron-leader, who was flying a Hurricane over East London at the time. He had just destroyed a Junkers 88, states an Air Ministry bulletin, and was looking round for another German to attack when he saw a Dornier 17 detach from its formation. The squadronleader went in to attack. “ The result was startling.” he said. “ I got no return fire but the rear gunner immediately baled out. In so doing he wrapped his parachute round the tail of the plane. This started the Dornier doing steep dives, followed by zooms on to its back. After a couple of these two members of the crew baled out from in front and left the Dornier doing its acrobatics, along with the rear gunner. When last seen it was makiiig a vertical dive into a cloud at about 4,000 feet and probably crashed in or just south of the Thames Estuary.”