AIR RAIDERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 February 1940, Page 5

AIR RAIDERS

GERMAN PLANE BROUGHT DOWN TWO OTHERS DAMAGED. GOOD WORK BY BRITISH FIGHTERS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) RUGBY, February 9. One German raider was brought down and two others are believed to have been seriously damaged when they tried to attack shipping off the North-East Coast this morning. They were engaged by the R.A.F. Fighter Command Patrols and naval anti-aircraft fire. One of them crashed near North Berwick, at the north of the Firth of Forth.

Shortly before the crash a fighter pilots’ patrol in Spitfires, far out at sea, sighted another Heinkel climbing steeply towards the clouds. One of the fighter pilots flew into the clouds on the tail of the enemy. As soon as they emerged into a clear patch, the German gunner opened fire. “I saw red flashes from the rear top gun,” said the Spitfire pilot, who was not hit. He fired a burst with his own eight guns before the Heinkel again disappeared into thick clouds. After making sure that the enemy was not flying above the clouds he dropped below and continued his patrol. Almost at the same time, shortly after noon, two Heinkels were attacked by a patrol Hurricane of!' the NorthEast Coast. When sighted, one was flying north and the other west. Before they reached the clouds the fighter pilot, turning from one to the other, managed to fire bursts of bullets into both.

ATTACKS ON SHIPS WITNESSED FROM BRITISH COASTS. (Received This Day, 10.0 a.m.) LONDON. February 9. The German plane, which crashed close to North Berwick missed telegraph wires and struck a fence.. Large crowds on the seashore saw two Nazi planes bomb a vessel oil the Scottish coast. Another plane bombed and machinegunned vessels on the English coast. So far it is believed that no damage was done. A plane machine-gunned and bombed a fishing boat, but scored no hits. Fighters chased off the enemy.