AERIAL COMBATS FOUGHT OVER NORTH SEA

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 307, 29 December 1939, Page 8

AERIAL COMBATS FOUGHT OVER NORTH SEA

(British Official Wireless) (Received 28, 12.45 p.m.) RUGBY, Dec. 27. There were minor encounters in the North Sea on Wednesday between Royal Air Force Coastal Command aircraft and enemy aircraft and surface craft. One of ‘ the British aircraft encountered a Dornier bomber and registered ( several hits with machine-gun . bullets. < Another British aircraft was in a j series of head-on combats with a sec- , ond Dornier. In the latter stage of the encounter the German bomber was at- ( tacked with bombs dropped by the ( British pilot a s he dived towards it. t The bombs only narrowly missed their l objective. t When a third Dornier came on the t scene, the two German aircraft flew in £ a tight circle to bring crossfire from < their front and rear guns to bear against their’ British opponent. This ‘ manoeuvre was broken by the steadi- * ness and accuracy of the British gunners, who observed that a number of bursts found their mark on each of the [ Dorniers. t Each of tile German aircraft that ac- E cepted combat was damaged and 1 silenced, but there were no casualties J to any of the British aircraft or their r crews. i Near the German coast, one British I coastal aircraft sighted two enemy de- £ stroyers and four patrol vessels, which j he attacked with bombs. Later the same aircraft saw seven more German j patrol ships close to their base. The e pilot made dive attacks and estimated that he made at least one hit. A bomb 1 fell astern of a vessel, which was seen J to be disabled. The other German t ships put up a heavy fire against the j British aircraft, which, however, returned pndamaged.