AIRMAN’S FEAT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 September 1939, Page 4

AIRMAN’S FEAT

GERMAN U BOAT SENT TO THE BOTTOM DIRECT HIT WITH BOMB NEAR CONNING TOWER. ATTACK CARRIED OUT WITH SKILL. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. September 18. The first graphic eye-wit-ness account of the bombing and sinking of a German submarine came I'rom a young South African officer serving" with the .Royal Air Force. The destruction of the submarine was closely observed by the pilot from the moment of attack to the last air bubble < which rose to the surface. It was the first submarine with which the pilot had been in action. “I was sent out on submarine patrol,” he said. “On my return trip I sighted a submarine on the surface two miles away. It was travelling at about twelve knots in an easterly direction. I took cover in a cloud in order to approach the submarine from astern. As I came out of the cloud, flying at 1.500 feet. I tried with my binoculars to identify the submarine. Flying closer I saw those characteristics which made me sure she was German. To make absolutely certain, I fired some rounds of ammunition near her to give her a chance to identify herself. She did not do so. I proceeded to dive, at the same time firing my front gun at someone, wearing a white hat, who was standing on the conning tower. He disappeared and the submarine started to dive. By the time I dropped my first salvo of bombs, the nearest of which hit the water from fifteen to twenty yards directly ahead of the submarine, she was half under water. The explosion of the bombs blew her back to the surface. That gave me time to turn round and I then carried out an attack from the port beam. The nearest bomb of my second salvo landed six feet to the side of the conning tower. It was a direct hit on the submarine’s port side. There was a colossal explosion and her whole stern was lifted out of the water. She dived into the sea at an angle of thirty degrees. For twenty minutes afterwards I remained over the spot, watching large whirlpools caused by escaping air coming to the surface of the water. By that time I assumed the submarine to be out of action on the bottom of the sea and returned to my base.”