RAIDERS SHOT DOWN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 February 1940, Page 5

RAIDERS SHOT DOWN

ENCOUNTER WITH BRITISH FIGHTERS ON EAST COAST Further Attacks on Shipping (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) LONDON, February 3. The Royal Air Force inflicted swift punishment on German bombers which raided various points on the east and north-east coasts of England today, shooting down two and very seriously damaging a third, which is believed to have crashed into the sea. One bomber was shot down off the Tyne area at .11. a.m. by an R.A.F. fighter command patrol. A ship went to the rescue of the crew, two of whom were dead and two taken to hospital. Another bomber crashed a few miles from a town in A orkshire after an encounter with.three. British fighters. 'Phis is the first enemy plane to crash on .English soil since the outbieak of the war, a previous crash having occurred in Scotland. There was a series of savage Nazi attacks on shipping oft the east coast.

Later reports reveal that in addition to shooting down t wo further planes on the east coast the R.A.F. put out of action the starboard engine of a third, sent a fourth scurrying homeward and so damaged a fifth that it probably did not reach Germany. It was last seen losing height and speed and belching smoke with one wing tilted. The gunner ’was silenced and the pilot is believed to have been hit.

The steamer Temp was bombed and sunk. One lifeboat reached the northeast coast and capsized in the surf, but police waded in neck high and rescued Norwegian sailors who were being pounded on the rocks. One was dead and one in a critical condition.

Eight survivors, including the captain, were rescued by lifeboats. They said that the ship was bombed at 9 a.m. and the crew machine-gunned as they took to the boats. A coastal command plane escortinga convoy guided a fishing smack to the rescue of nine men drifting in a lifeboat in a heavy sea. SHIPS MACHINE=GUNNED A Heinkel, darting from a veil of mist, machine-gunned the decks of a big steamer once, and then quickly retreated to the clouds. Another plane, which was reported to be almost indistinguishable from the sea, machinegunned a small vessel lying close to the Norfolk coast' and then raked a lightship with its fore and aft guns. A British bomber quickly appeared, circled the vessel, and went in pursuit of the Nazis. Another message states that two German planes were seen machinegunning a trawler off the Yorkshire coast at 9.30 a.m. Three British planes went in hot pursuit. One enemy plane was brought down later. The occupant of a seafront hotel states that he saw smoke form a vessel apparently on fire three miles off. ENCOUNTER AT SEA An Official Wireless report states that a third engagement took place off the Northumberland coast a few minutes before that off the Yorkshire coast. In this case another fighter patrol attacked two Heinkels, which were dropping bombs on merchant ships near- the Fame Islands. The bombers without returning the fire, raced for home, climbing steeply into the shelter of clouds, but the Hurricanes had already poured machine-gun bullets into one of the raiders, which disappeared with one engine out of action.

A fighter pilot, describing the action, said, “As the enemy aircraft escaped, I saw heavy black smoke and bits of metal coming from the starboard engine.”

Correspondents say that the Heinkel which came down in flames on the Yorkshire moors narrowly missed the chimney of a cottage. The crew extricated four dead and one injured. People earlier heard firing out at sea, and then saw the Heinkel cross the coastline, endeavouring to escape inland.

The German air raids covered 400 miles of British coast. It is estimated that 20 Heinkels participated, operating from the Firth of Tay to the Norfolk coast.

Fighters patrolled the Firth of Tay from dawn to afternoon, when enemy planes were reported out at sea, but the combats were confined to the sea coast farther south. GERMAN CLAIMS The official German news agency, referring to last week’s raids, admits that British fighters and intense fire from armed vessels hindered the plans. It adds that the air force sank five ships between the Humber and the Thames, and three off the Orkney Islands, on January 29 and 30. The German High Command admits that three planes failed to return from today’s raids. It adds that reconnaissance planes over the North Sea sank a minesweeper, four patrol ships, and nine merchantmen in convoy, and seriously damaged many other armed merchantmen. The British Admiralty did not comment on the foregoing claims. ONLY ONE SHIP SUNK In a broadcast from Daventry this morning it was stated that the only ship known to have been destroyed was a Norwegian steamer of G3O tons. GERMAN AIRMEN TWO BODIES WASHED ASHORE ON SCOTTISH COAST. BURIED WITH MILITARY HONOURS. LONDON. February 3. The bodies of two German airmen which were washed ashore on the north-east coast of Scotland were buried with military honours, a party of Royal Air Force men attending.

SHIPS ATTACKED

DAMAGE AND CASUALTIES. SOME VESSELS REACH PORT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, February 4. In regard to the raids cabled last night there still is no official reply to the German claims. The following are known to have been, attacked: —The Glasgow collier Yewdale, when three were injured, including the skipper, who was machinegunned at tlie wheel and who died as the ship entered an East Coast harbour. The Grimsby trawler, Rose of England, was following the Yewdale and her mate says four aeroplanes must have dropped sixty bombs. One nearly lifted the ship out of the water and three hit her, breaking the steering gear. No one was injured. The Whitby steamer Kildale had six killed and fifteen were saved by a lifeboat. The tramp steamer, Harley, eight of whose crew were saved by a lifeboat. The crew say the bomber seemed to give time to quit and dropped the first bomb ahead of the ship. The crew left in a lifeboat and rowed for five hours when a British plane, after sighting them, guided a fishing-boat which brought them to an East Coast port. The Harley is still afloat. Three of the Harley’s engineroom crew were killed. Simultaneously the raider attacked the London steamer Corland but she reached port without casualty. GERMAN CLAIMS COMMENT FROM AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE. (Received This Day. 10.40 a.m.) LONDON, February 4. It is authoritatively stated that the German bombers are estimated not to exceed twelve, which could not possibly have sunk fourteen ships as the Germans claim.

DANISH SHIP BOMBED SIXTEEN OF CREW PERISH. MURDEROUS ATTACKS ON NEUTRAL SHIPPING. LONDON. February 3. A message from Oslo (Norway) states that eight survivors of the Danish vessel Vidar, which was reported to have been mined and sunk in the North Sea last week, have landed at Stavenger. They say the ship was bombed from the air and not mined. Sixteen persons perished. The whole crew took to a lifeboat which capsized, drowning eight. The remainder returned to the Vidar. from which eight then left .on a raft. The others went down with the ship. A Danish ship picked up those on the raft. It is revealed that the Danish ship the Sedey, which, while proceeding in ballast to an English port to load coal for Denmark, was attacked on January 9 without .warning by German bombers, displayed large Danish flags in a conspicuous position (states British official Wireless). The German machines made three attacks and the crew were given no opportunity to take to the boats before the bombing and machine-gunning occurred. A Norwegian newspaper has described Nazi air warfare against neutral shipping as ‘'nothing but plain murder.” Norway has lost 10 ships and 100} sailors in the past 10 days, according to an Oslo message. These losses do not include those on Saturday. Since the beginning of the war. Norway has lost 41 ships.—By radio. NAZI AIRCRAFT-CARRIER POSSIBLE USE AS COMMERCE RAIDER. NEW WARSHIP COMPLETED. AMSTERDAM, February 3. The Germans’ first aircraft-carrier, Graf Zeppelin, of 19.250 tons, has been completed, and may be employed as a commerce raider.