SMASHING DEFEAT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 248, 17 September 1940, Page 7

SMASHING DEFEAT

NAZI AIR FAILURE

FORMATIONS SHATTERED

(British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 10.10 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 16 Spitfire and Hurricane pilots of the Fighter Command yesterday delivered the most smashing defeat on the Luftwaffe it has ever received. Over a third of the German bombers and fighters massed for what was to have been the enemy’s heaviest attack on London were destroyed, and at least 450 of her trained crews lost. It is expected that when a fuller investigation has been made, the total “bag” of the anti-aircraft guns will be found to be large. The R.A.F. losses were but a seventh of the enemy’s.

When the R.A.F. pilots raced to the attack they saw 400 enpmy aircraft in little groups of nine arranged three by three like a sergeant’s stripes. Each group of nine bombers had nine Messerschmitt 110 fighter-bombers between them and a little arrowhead flight of single-seater Messerschmitt 109’s circling above them as high as 35,000 ft. There were no very large “bags” of enemy aircraft by single squadrons, though ,some who went up twice reached double figures. The Spitfires and Him'icancs kept wearing the enemy down, attacking and attacking, and bringing down Dormers, Heinkels and Messerschmitts by ones, twos and threes. Information has been received that the British steamer Port Auckland, which was proceeding down the Diver Thames during one of the enemy’s air attacks on London yesterday, shot down an enemy bomber. A shell from the Port Auckland’s anti-aircraft, gun burst close under the German bomber, which caught fire and crashed in flames on the bank of the river. One of the bomber’s crew was seen to bale out. NAZI CLAIMS. MORE “REPRISALS.” (Rec. 10.55 a.m.) BERLIN. Sept. 16. A communique 6tates that the reprisals against London were continued at the week-end. Bombers attacked docks and harbour facilities. They hit the Bromley gasworks, set fire to oil dumps, and directly hit stations and industrial plants at Woolwich and other parts'of London. Bombs were dropped on the harbour installations at Dover and at Portland, where an oil dump was, set on fire, also on aircraft factories at Southampton and objectives at Liverpool and Birmingham, starting numerous _fires. “The British unsuccessfully attempted to raid Berlin. Several houses were destroyed and a school was set on fire. Two civilians were killed and several injured in a West German town. The enemy lost 79 planes and 43 of ours are missing. Our planes sank three merchantmen totalling 26,000 tons.” CROSS-CIIANNEL FIRING. • MORE. SHELLS ON DOVER. Received September 17, 10.30 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 16. 1 Heavy rainfall to-day broke many weeks of fine weather off Dover. The sky over the straits was overcast, with low clouds and mist over the sea, the French coast being silhouetted against the pale horizon. The German long-range guns on the French coast began shelling the Dover area at 11 a.m. The bombardment opened with a salvo while the town’s main streets were crowded with shoppers. Four salvoes were fired for ten minutes, then the shelling ceased. Eleven Dover people were wounded. It is understood the German guns were replying to a bombardment of the French coast from British longrange guns firing 24 rounds across the Channel. LOSSES IN PLANES. MOUNTING GERMAN TOTAL. The following table shows the British and German air loss'es over Britain since the intensification of the air war on August 8:- Geman British

August total Sept. 1 ■••• ... 1073 .... 25 .... 50 .. 279 .. 15 .. 20 )) 3 .... 25 .4 15 4 .... 64 . . 17 )> 39 .. 20 J) 6 ..... .... 46 . . 19 7 .... .... 103 .. 23 3) 8 .... ... 11 .. •* )’ 9 .... .... 52 . .. 13 n 30 31 .... 89 . .... 90 . 7 13 \ % 12 ....'• .... , + * jj 1> ? j 13 ..... 14 ..... 15 ..... .... 18 • .... 185 . 7 9 . 25 i j 16 *Not cabled.