R.A.F. SUCCESSES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20103, 24 November 1939, Page 7

R.A.F. SUCCESSES

NORTH SEA BATTLE EIGHT NAZI LOSSES ! | ENEMY OVER THAMES | WATCHED BY CROWDS i ! (Flee. Tel. Copyright — United Press Assn ) (Reed. Nov. 24, 12 noon) LONDON. Nov. 22. ; An official communique states that | an air-raid warning was sounded in Essex. Intensive machine-gun fire was heard above the clouds but no aircraft were seen. Hundreds of people remained in cinemas during the warning. Tlie all-clear signal was given half an hour after the alarm.

It is revealed that a combat occurred over the North Sea on Tuesday, when eight machines were brought down. A 22-year-old Yorkshire pilot sighted a German bomber, climbeo up beneath the enemy to a height of five miles, pursued him over the sea and opened fire at 100yds. range. The bomber heeled over after the first burst and spiralled down at a great speed and hit the sea. The petrol tank exploded.

Raids on Shetlands In the raid on the Shetlands, six German raiders first circled the area bombed last week and unsuccessfully attempted to bomb a small island mail steamer. They then dived on the seaplane. They flew so low that their crews were visible as the bombs dropped. Seven members of the crew of the seaplane leapt into the water and struck out for shore. One bomb dropped within 25yds. and partly shot away a float to which one airman was clinging. Boats picked up six members of the crew and the seventh, fully clad, swam 500yds. to the shore.

The Air Ministry stales that only one German plane has flown in the neighbourhood of London. It was shot down by our fighters and the crew taken prisoner. Thames Estuary Warnings

Gunfire lasted for 30 minutes in parts of the Thames estuary, last night. Warnings were sounded but the wardens had the greatest difficulty to persuade people to take cover, despite a machine-gun battle directly overhead. Searchlights raking the sky revealed two silvery coloured .-enplanes 3000 ft. up. An eye-witness said the seaplanes directed their fire down the searchlight beams and then anti-aircraft guns tossed them about the sky like corks.

A message from Berlin says that a war communique reports that a British flying-boat was set on fire in the Shetlands and also that four French planes were shot down during border patrols and a filth near Sedan. Lively air scouting over England and France achieved unusually valuable results, despite strong aerial antiaircraft defence. A German plane was forced down at Freiburg. Enemy j reconnaissance planes hugged the} frontier.