AIR FORCE BLUFF

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 January 1942, Page 3

AIR FORCE BLUFF

IN EARLY DAYS OF WAR NORTH SEA PATROLLED • BY UNARMED PLANES. HEROIC TORPEDO ATTACK ON SCHARNHORST. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON January 21. In the early days of the war the shortage of planes was so serious that it was made up for by bluff, said Wing Commander G. G. Barrett in an address to the Royal United Services Institution. He said unarmed Tiger Hornet Moths patrolled the North Sea. They were christened the “scarcrow patrol.” Light training aircraft operated in incredibly bad weather, and were capable of flying a maximum of 150 minutes. U-boats sighting these planes dived without waiting to discover whether they were capable of attack. The “scarecrow patrol” undoubtedly saved much shipping. Wing Commander Barrett disclosed that the German battleship Scharnhorst was probably torpedoed during a daring dawn raid in which a single Beaufort dashed into Brest, skimmed the water despite intensive anti-air-craft fire, hopped over the protective mole and dropped a torpedo. The ship's guns and shore batteries opened up, and the Beaufort faced the heaviest concentration of fire ever directed against a single plane. At such short range it is believed the torpedo scored a direct hit. The plane unfortunately was shot down and the crew of four killed.