ENEMY SCATTER

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1940, Page 7

ENEMY SCATTER

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

BIG FORMATIONS FLEE BATTLE FOUGHT IN GALE QUIETER DAY IN THE AIR

Rec. 11 p.m. London, Sept. 18. Enemy planes that crossed the coast of Kent in large waves yesterday scattered when they met fighters and failed to penetrate inland. Apart from that the day in the air was comparatively quiet. Altogether 13 German planes were shot down. An Air Ministry and Home Security communique issued at 11 o'clock last night, stated: "Enemy activity was on a small scale on Tuesday until the early afternoon. Although bombs were dropped in widely scattered districts in the south and south-east of England little damage was done but a small number of people were killed or injured in the south-west of London. At Portsmouth a church and several houses were hit and a small number of people were injured. "At about 3.15 p.m. several large waves of enemy aircraft crossed the coast of Kent flying in the direction of London and a large force was dispatched to intercept Ihe enemy. No major battle took place. but contact was made over Kent. The enemy promptly scattered and did not penetrate further inland than Maidstone. Sevcn Enemy Destroyed. "Present reports show that before the enemy reached safety our fighters deI stroyed five and two were shot down by | anti-aircraft fire." i An Air Ministry communique issued ! at 1.40 a.m. to-day said: "Up to midnight five enemy bombers were shot down in attacks made on the south-east coast of England during the darkness. Four were destroyed by anti-aircraft guns and one by Royal Air Force fighter squadrons. This makes the total 12 ....... . » • .

enemy aircraft destroyed during Tuesday. Three of our fighters were lost or are missing as a result of Tuesday's J engagements, but the pilots of two are | safe." Another raider is now known to have been shot down at Maidstone during the night. "After having their bomber squadrons J cut to rags and tatters in Sunday's fights i over London, the Germans this afteri noon sent more than 200 fighters across I the Channel," said the Air Ministry news i service. I 100 Mile an Hour Gale. i "Battles were fought in a 100 -mile - I an-hour gale over Kent, Sussex, Surrey and the Thames Estuary. Although our fighter pilots were handicapped by heavy cloud when searching for the enemy, they destroyed four. Aircraft gunners ! on the south-east coast also shot down two. "The first formation of Messerschmitts approached the sea coast at 3 p.m. and they continued to come over in waves of 20 and 30 for the next hour. "At 25,000 feet 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 feet, and a third was spinning out of controi." It is now known that only 11 British pilots were lost in Sunday's air battles. London had six air raid alarms between 8.3 a.m. and 8.10 p.m. yesterday. A few minutes before the third warning railway passengers standing outside a station in the London area heard a plane above the clouds. An anti-aircraft gun fired one round. The engine of the plane stopped and a terrific crash and explosion followed. Soon after the fourth warning gunfire was heard and an enemy machine was engaged over London. The pilot was seen to bale out.