FIGHTERS IN ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 August 1941, Page 6

FIGHTERS IN ACTION

WHILE ESCORTING BOMBERS

IN DAYLIGHT

ENEMY PLANES RELUCANT , TO ENGAGE. THREE MESSERSCHMITTS SHOTDOWN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 1.10 p.m.) RUGBY, August 18. ■ The following Air Ministry commur.iaue quotes details of the R.A.F. operations during' Monday:—“Blenheim aircraft of the Bomber Command this afternoon bombed and sank three enemy patrol vessels off the Dutch coast. Two attacks on objectives in Northern France were made by other Blenheims which were accompanied by strong fighter escorts. An industrial plant at Lille and other targets were bombed.' “The fighter escorts destroyed three enemy fighters. Other fighters carried out a sweep over the coast of Northern Brittany and attacked an aerodrome and enemy troops with cannon and machine-gun fire.

Two Belgian pilots shot down two of the three Messerschmitt 109 s destroyed. Six Messerschmitts attacked the Belgian Squadron when it was flying at a little below 30,000 feet. A dogfight followed. A Messerschmitt 109 F was hit by the cannon fire of one of the Belgians who has had a month’s experience in these offensive operations. A little later the squadron saw several Messerschmitts below them and dived to the attack. An older type of Messerschmitt was hit and shed large pieces of its structure when the guns of a second Belgian held it in a sustained burst of fire. Many fighters of the squadrons which took part in this operation —the second in which bombers have been escorted to attack targets in Northern France during the day—saw considerable numbers of enemy aircraft, but reported that on the whole they were reluctant to engage. The third Messerschmitt destroyed was shot down by a Czech pilot. He saw it go spinning down in flames. In the same sweep he also saw an enemy fighter which he attacked spin down, but he lost sight of it in the clouds and therefore was only able to claim it as “probably destroyed.”