FURIOUS BATTLES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 249, 18 September 1940, Page 8

FURIOUS BATTLES

FOUGHT IN HIGH GALE

NAZI PLANES CRASH,

(United. Press Association—Copyright.) (Britisli Ulnciai Wireless.) (Rec. 1.37-p.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 17. The Air Ministry News bervice states that atter having their bomber squadrons cut to rags and tatters in Sunday’s fig'hts over London, the Germans on Tuesday afternoon sent more than 200 fighters across the Channel. The battles were fought in a 100-mile-an-hour ' gale over Kent, Sussex, Surrey and tho Thames Estuary.

Although our fighter pilots were handicapped by heavy clouds when searching for i the enemy, they destroyed four. Anti-aircraft gunners on t'he South-East Coast also shot down two.

The first formation of Messerschmitts approached tho coast at 3 p.m. They continued to come over in waves of 20 and 30 for the next half-hour. At 25,000 ft over Maidstone 12 Spitfires routed a formation of Messerschmitts. Although these famous Fighter Command auxiliary pilots do not claim to have definitely destroyed any German machines, the pilots, when they landed, said: “One was swaying in a dive with white smoke -pouring from the fuselage. a second was flying very slowly at 1000 ft, and a third was spinning out of control.”

NEW ZEALANDER’S. ESCAPES. A New Zealand flight-commander who is credited with shooting down twelve and one-thirtieth German machines—the fraction being due to the share he took in three actions with other pilots in bringing down single enemy aeroplanes—has had an adventurous time in reaching this score. He has been shot down four or five times, and baled out three times.

One day in July he made a headon attack on a Messcrschmitt loy. Neither lie nor the enemy would give way and they collided. The Messerschmitt’s airscrew struck the upper part of the British pilot’s cockpit and his hood was jambed. down.

The machine caught fire, but ho landed in a field. He found his hood would not open and so lie had to smash his way out as flames entered the cockpit. •- Ho was awarded the D.F.C. for his share, in escorting a Miles Master training aircraft across ' the Channel to Calais to rescue his squadronleader. He and another pilot in Spitfires were attacked by 12 Messerschmitts. Both pilots destroyed one each and shared the destruction of a third and probably a fourth. The Miles Master was not damaged. He had a very narrow escape recently when ho had just taken off with another pilot. As they left the ground a bomb came crashing near them. The port window of his aircraft was torn off and he and the machine were hurled into the next field, landing "upside down and scatting along for IUO yds. before coming to rest. He was rescued by the other pilot.

Tho New Zealand pilot mentioned above is presumably Pilot-Officer A. C. Deere, D.F.C., of Wanganui, who fought Messerschmitts, shooting down three, when taking a training plane to palais to rescue his squadron-leader who had been shot down there.