SMASHING DEFEAT

Taranaki Daily News, 18 September 1940, Page 7

SMASHING DEFEAT

THIRD OF RAIDERS LOST London, Sept. 16. Spitfire and Hurricane pilots of the Fighter Command yesterday delivered the most smash'ing defeat on the Luftwaffe it has ever received. Over a third of the German bombers anj fighters massed for what was to have been the enemy's heaviest atack on London were I destroyed and at least 450 of her trained crews were lost. At least nine of a total of 187 aircraft destroyed were shot down by anti-aircraft guns and it is expected when a fuller investigation has been made that the total bag of the anti-air-craft guns will be found to be larger. The Royal Air Force losses were but a seventh of the enemy's. When Royal Air Force pilots raced to the attack thcy saw 400 enemy 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 feet. There were no very large bags of enemy aircraft by single squadrons, though some who went up twice reached double figures. Spitfires and Hurricanes kept wearing the enemy down and attacking and bringing down Dorniers, Heinkels and Messerschmitts by ones, twos and threes. Since the beginning of the war 2170 enemy planes have been destroyed over Britain. In the same period 553 British aircraft have been lost over Britain but 259 of the pilots of the latter have been saved. The total bag of German planes on Sunday was increased to 187 by one victim of minesweepers and another of the vessel Port Auckland, which shot down a German bomber over the Thames.