THE KIEL CANAL RAID

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20094, 14 November 1939, Page 8

THE KIEL CANAL RAID

BOMBING OF WARSHIPS HAMILTON AIRMAN’S PART DESCRIPTION OF FLIGHT The raid on German warships in the Kiel Canal by the Royal Air Force on September 4 is described by Air Observer Melville Innes-Jones, who took part in the raid, in a letter received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. Innes-Jones, of Hamilton. An earlier letter was received by his wife on November 1, but owing to the fact that the airman was unable to say anything about the flight it did not contain any detail. “How many machines took part in the expedition I could not risk telling you,” states Air Observer Innes-Jones in his letter. “However, I do not mind telling you that those 10 minutes in the Kiel Harbour were the hottest I have ever had in my life. A novelist could probably write of bursting ‘Archie’ fire and tracer bullets, but to me it seemed as though every German in Germany was venting his spite on me personally, especially as I was in the last but one machine and did not have the advantage -of surprise, such as the first aeroplane caused. “You might think that 10 minutes was a long time in the harbour, but that was from the time we were first fired upon until we set course for home,” he continues. “It was pouring with rain at the time, and, as the cloud base was about 800 ft., visibility was bad and made it difficult to locate the target.

“After being in the air a little over five hours we landed at a small aerodrome on the east coast of Britain. We flew the last 40 minutes after dark. We were also fired on by our own anti-aircraft guns as we crossed the coast-line, but it was only a challenge.”

As a result of the part he played in the raid, Air Observer Innes-Jones has been promoted to the rank of sergeant observer.