R.A.F. BOMBS GERMAN WARSHIPS

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 304, 26 December 1939, Page 3

R.A.F. BOMBS GERMAN WARSHIPS

Nazi Fleet Leaves Hamburg AERIAL ENCOUNTER OVER FIRTH OF FORTH United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, Dec. 22. British ’planes have bombed German warships and patrolled German seaplane bases during the past 21 hours, says a Paris message. It is semi officially slated in Paris that the German fleet has left Hamburg, half moving to the Baltic Sea and half to the North Sea via the Kid Canal. A German High Command communique states: ‘'During an air fight between Messerschmitts and French fighting ’planes one enemy , plane was forced down. Our ’planes returned without casualty. Reconnaissance aircraft flew over Southern England.” The British Air Ministry states that no British planes were involved in any air battle off the Norwegian coast yesterday afternoon. The British Air Ministry announced to-day:—“Enemy aircraft were reported Dff the Firth of Forth this morning. Fighter aircraft were sent up to intercept them. At a considerable height contact was made with an enemy aircraft identified as a Heinkel 111. “On being engaged, the Heinkel dived into the clouds, but was followed by the leader of our own formation. On emerging between two layers of cloud, the enemy was re-engaged and, after a further attack by the fighter, continued its dive and was lost in a lower cloud level.” Two other Henkels flew along the east coast, and one of them circled over one tow-n. Machine-gun fire was heard and then the machine flew out to sea. leaving a trail of white smoke. In connection with this communique, it is interesting to note that a large round splash of foam on the surface of the water was seen by a R.A.F, Fighter Command pilot after the fight with th« raider. According to this unofficial version of the ehcounter, when the Heinkels wers first sighted flying towards the Scottish coast this morning they were above twe layers of cloud. As soon as they saw the British fighters they dived. A fighter followed, firing at one of the Heinkels immediately it was free of the clouds. The fighter pilot’s dive carried him below the Heinkel. He pulled up and went on firing from underneath. Hi? tracer ammunition seemed to gc straight into the fuselage of the Heinkel. The German air gunner fired back. One bullet passed near the end of the fighter's fuselage, but did no serious damage. The Heinkel dived down and disappeared below the bottom of a layei of cloud. Before he went clown, the British pilot and one other pilot who followed saw a puff of black smoke coming from the raider. A third fighter pilot returning from a pursuit of a second Heinkel saw a splash of foam below the place of combat.