ENEMY LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 September 1940, Page 6

ENEMY LOSSES

ONE PLANE EVERY TWO MINUTES DURING MORNING ATTACK ON ENGLAND. BATTLES OVER COAST & SEA. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) RUGBY, September 6. An advance official statement gives enemy aircraft losses in today’s attacks on Britain, as ascertained up to 5 p.m., as 38. The R.A.F. losses were fifteen fighters, but seven of the pilots are safe. An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique on this afternoon’s raids on South-East England says: “Early this afternoon aircraft crossed the coast of Kent in large formations. Our anti-aircraft defences engaged the enemy at all points, and his aircraft were driven back by our fighters before they could penetrate to the London area. In this attack only slight damage was done and no casualties have been reported. “Later this afternoon, the enemy made a further attack, with a smaller force of aircraft, across the North Kent coast, in five formations, three of which remained south of the Thames Estuary. In this attack a fire was caused in an industrial installation on the north bank of the Thames, but no casualties have been reported. “There are no reports of bombs having been dropped elsewhere during this attack.” According to an Air Ministry bulletin, British fighters were shooting down enemy aircraft which raided Southern England this morning at the rate of one every two minutes. About three hundred aircraft, in waves of twenty or thirty, approached the Dover cliffs early today. Most of the air fights were over Kent and Sussex, but a number of the raiders were intercepted off Beachy Head. The Polish squadron, which has been so successful this week, again shot down six raiders this morning, and probably two more.