AIR RAID ON KIEL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 September 1939, Page 6

AIR RAID ON KIEL

FIRST EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS

British Planes Almost Touch Masts of Battleship BOMB SEEN TO LAND SQUARELY AMIDSHIPS OFFICERS FROM NEW ZEALAND AND OTHER DOMINIONS TAKE PART (By Telegraph. —Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 1.0 p.m.) LONDON, September 14. The Ministry of Information announces that the first eyewitness accounts of air raids against the enemy after the outbreak of war can now be given. It is a story of the Kiel raids obtained, from the Royal Air Force pilots and navigators who struck this blow against Germany’s naval strength. Some of these pilots flew so close to one of the two warships which were bombed that they almost touched her masthead, and could see in vivid, detgil what happened on her decks; also what happened on the quayside. The pilots and crews were drawn from all parts of Britain. There were several officers also from Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Eire. The leader’s personal story is: “We started for Wilhelmshaven at 4 p.m. on September 6. The afternoon was fine when we left, but as we flew we met foul weather, with heavy and continuous rain. When we reached Wilhelmshaven, the weather cleared for a few minutes. Breaking our flight formation, we flew singly. In the Schilling Roads we could see a German warship taking on stores. Flying at a hundred feet above her masts, all three aircraft in our flight converged on the battleship. I flew straight ahead. The pilot of a- second aircraft came across from one side. A third pilot crossed from the other. We could, see the crews running to stations. As we flew over the top of the battleship, we dropped bombs. Our second pilot saw two hit. We came round and the ship’s pompoms began to fire. As we headed homewards, the pilot of the third aircraft saw the first bomb drop from the second bomber. It appeared to drop dead amidships.”