STOUTLY DEFENDED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 June 1940, Page 3

STOUTLY DEFENDED

AERODROMES IN FRANCE DEEDS OF BRITISH FIGHTERS & 1 ROOPS. CAMERONTAN CORPORAL’S ACHIEVEMENT. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. June 27. The story is now told of the defence of two aerodromes in France in the early days of the German attack in spite of intense efforts'by the enemy to seize them. ■ An attack on the aerodromes had been expected. Not only were British fighters high in the air over the aerodromes, but British troops had been so placed that they could deal immediately with any enemy landings. Infantry and machine-gun action had been carefully co-ordinated. Early one morning in the first week of June some GO bombers with an escort of 12 fighters appeared, flying at about 15,000 feet. They were immediately received with heavy anti-air-craft fire which dispersed the leading formations and then they were attacked by the British fighters from above. A dozen enemy aeroplanes were shot down by the guns and fighters and that formation was turned back. Further attacks on a smaller scale, but at lower altitudes were made 'during the day. but they were all successfully dealt with. The troops available for service on the lines of communication were drawn from various units. At one of these aerodromes the majority of the infantry posted were the personnel of divisional headquarters, including clerks, cooks, drivers and storemen armed with their rifles and a few Lewis and Bren guns. As most of the men were old soldiers, the Lewis guns were particular favourites with them.

Most of the attacks during the day were not pressed home, but at about 5 o'clock the final and most determined one was made from a very low altitude by about 30 machines. Two or three machines were shot down by small arms and light automatic fire from the troops guarding the aerodrome. One particular aeroplane fell to the lone efforts of Corporal O'Neill, of the Cameronians, who was in charge of the divisional headquarters cookhouse. Corporal O'Neill, a particularly expert Lewis gunner, was firing a Lewis gun which he had scrounged from no one quite knows where. The aeroplane fell in flames not many yards from his post. After this attack, had been repelled, the enemy apparently did not consider it worth his while to land at these aerodromes, as he confined future efforts to bombing from a very high altitude.