AIR COMBATS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 August 1940, Page 6

AIR COMBATS

BRITISH BOMBERS BEAT FIGHTERS SEVERAL ENEMY MACHINES DESTROYED. OTHERS PUT TO FLIGHT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.19 a.m.) RUGBY. August 1. An Air Ministry communique states: “R.A.F. bombers yesterday carried out daylight attacks on military objectives in Germany and shipping oft the Dutch and German coasts. In the course of these raids the bombers were engaged by enemy fighters, two of which were shot down. One of our bombers is missing. ‘•‘Oil refineries at Misburg, near Hanover, and Emmerich, near the DutchGerman frontier. were attacked by bombers last night. Other aircraft bombed supply depots at Osnabruch, shipping in the Zuyder Zee and enemy aerodromes in Holland and Germany. Two of our aircraft were lost. “A Sunderland flying-boat of the Royal Australian Air Force three times repelled enemy air attacks on a convoy it was escorting yesterday.” An aircraft of the Coastal Command engaged in reconnaissance over Norway failed to return. ‘’There were several encounters between medium bombers and enemy aircraft during yesterday’s daylight raids on German aerodromes and shipping oft the Dutch and German coasts. In a fight lasting for over half an hour, a British bomber successfully repelled an attack by two enemy fighters, a Messerschmitt 109 and a Heinkel 112. The engagement began five miles north of Amsterdam, with the enemy attacking in line astern. The bomber dived 6.000 feet to sea level. The Messerschmitt followed and, just as it was breaking away from a stern attack, the bomber's rear gunner caught it with an accurate burst and it crashed into the sea. The Heinkel then took up the attack, repeatedly using its cannon and machine-guns in an unsuccessful effort to equal the score. The Heinkel, after 35 minutes, gave up the pursuit. “Another bomber, after making a low-level attack on a barge near Tholen, at the mouth of the Scheldt, encountered two seaplanes, believed to. be Heinkel 114’s, while looking for another target. The pilot, singling out one of his adversaries, attacked from the beam at 1,000 feet. The seaplane turned away, but was caught immediately by another stream of bullets which entered the cockpit. Leaving a trail of smoke in its wake, the enemy aircraft plunged into the sea. Its companion, observing the result of the engagement, flew oft. The bomber, resuming its interrupted quest for further targets, found and bombed another barge. “A third bomber was attacked at 2,000 feet over Schipol, by five Messerschmitt 109’s. The bomber repeatedly went into clouds to evade its pursuers, and at one stage changed its course in the clouds, but found waiting to engage it one Messerschmitt 109, which sheered off after encountering a burst from the bomber's machine-gun. “Over the Hague, a further force of enemy fighters was met, but they soon broke oft the engagement. “Because of low cloud and bad visibility, several British raiders failed to locate their targets and brought back their bombs. Targets on which attacks I were made included two large supply I ships, five small oil tanks and the Pad-! erborn Aerodrome, where, flying: through a dense barrage put up by every type of anti-aircraft gun, an aircraft is reported to have hit the hangars with bombs.” VICTIMS IN NORWICH FIVE KILLED BY BOMBS. I By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright: (Received This Day. 11.25 a.m.) LONDON. August 1. Five persons were killed in the Norwich bombing. GERMAN REPORT (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.) BERLIN, August 1. A communique states: “The weather hindered air activity yesterday. We bombed armed merchantmen in the Channel and west of the Scillies. Night attacks directed against shipping and port equipment in the south of England and also against searchlight positions caused explosions and fires. Messerschmitts without loss engaged Spitfires near Dover. We shot down three! more planes during British raids over] Norway, Denmark, and Holland. Enemy planes bombed Northern and Western Germany last night and caused slight damage. A plane dropped a number of bombs in the centre of Hanover, far from military objectives. Several houses were damaged and several persons were killed and injured. The enemy altogether lost eight planes yesterday.” SUDDEN APPEARANCE ENEMY RAIDER AT NORWICH. BOMBS HIT BUILDINGS. (Received This Day, 1.45 p.rn.) LONDON. August 1. The Norwich air raider appeared suddenly from, clouds, machine-gun-ned the town, dropped bombs and then gave a parting burst of gunfire before making oft. One bomb demolished part of a warehouse. Another a few yards away hit a building, hurling parts of it to a considerable distance. A third bomb wrecked a restaurant which shortly before was full. The explosion lifted off the roof and shattered windows a quarter of a mile away.