THUNDER OF BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1940, Page 7

THUNDER OF BATTLE

REPORTED AT SVLT AIR MINISTRY DENIAL. NO BRITISH PLANES ENGAGED. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. LONDON, January 19. 'Pho thunder of a major air / battle and possibly also a naval battle began over Germany’s chief North Sea air base of Sylt at 6 p.m., it was reported last night. Squadrons of big German planes went up from the northern tip of the island, and fighters from Schleswig flew south and west. Anti-aircraft guns blazed furiously.

Heavy gunfire resembling that of naval guns broke out in the Heligoland area.

Five planes, believed to be British, swooped from the north-west, at 8 p.m. and dropped five bombs on Rantum and Keitum where the Hindenburg dam railway ends. The planes’ machine-guns maintained intensive fire. The island was completely blacked out but the sky was ablaze with searchlights. In the latest reports eyewitnesses say that 15 German planes took off from Sylt at 6 p.m., flying toward Heligoland. Heavy anti-aircraft fire lasted for 30 minutes.

Naval gunfire from Heligoland and the presence of five unidentified planes at 8 p.m. are also confirmed. It is believed that two raids occurred. The Hamburg radio programme was interrupted last night bj’ a special announcement recalling all naval personnel to duty.

It was announced in a Daventry braodcast last night that the Air Ministry denied that British planes were over Sylt. It was pointed out that the reports came from Danish sources, which agreed that many aircraft were engaged, and that there were anti-air-craft fire and a number of explosions, but there was no proof as to the identity of the planes engaged.

EARLIER CONFLICT YOUNG SCOTTISH AIRMAN’S STORY. LONDON, January 19. A young Scottish Royal Air Force sergeant-pilot describes the recent battle over Heligoland Bight in which 72 Messerschmitts met British planes. The British planes, he said, shot down “one German after another —so many that I lost count.” The terrific battle against heavy odds lasted for 49 minutes. The Messerschmitts sent down several of our planes. NO CONFIRMATION AIR MINISTRY WITHOUT INFORMATION. NO BRITISH PLANES N AREA OF REPORTED BATTLE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 9.35 a.m.) RUGBY. January 19. There is no confirmation in London of the circumstantial reports from Copenhagen of a new air attack on the German seaplane base at the Island of Sylt, to the north of the Heligoland Bight. The Air Ministry has no information about any air activity that would account for these reports and it is unofficially stated that no British planes were over that district yesterday. This is the second time in eight days that eyewitness reports of this kind, entirely lacking in confirmation in London, have been received from Denmark.