ROYAL AIR FORCE

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20992, 20 December 1939, Page 7

ROYAL AIR FORCE

SUCCESS OF ATTACKS i determination and skill NAZI CONFIDENCE SHAKEN (Official Wireless) (Received Dec. 20, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Dec. 19 Informed circles in London regard the strenuous resistance made by , German fighters to the Royal Air Force reconnaissance yesterday as in- j dicating an increased desire by the 1 German High Command to preserve j its diminished fleet. The Royal Air Force expedition ] had as its object the seeking out and | destruction of enemy ships at sea, but the Germans had withdrawn their naval forces in an endeavour to protect them from discovery, leaving the passage of the Royal Air Force aircraft to be disputed by their fighters. In the severe fighting which fol- I lowed the determination and skill of j the Royal Air Force personnel, re- j suiting in the destruction of twelve ' enemy fighters for the loss of seven | Royal Air Force bombers, demonstrated, as did last Thursday’s engagement, when five out of 20 Messerschmitts were destroyed at a cost of three Royal Air Force machines in a 40 minutes’ fight, the superiority at present held by the Royal Air Force. It is, however, recognised that no accurate conclusion on the comparative strengths of the fighters and bombers can be obtained until largescale operations take place, although the success so far attending the Royal Air Force fighters when driving off enemy bomb raids may prove in the future to be a link in the chain of evidence favourable to the Royal Air Force. German Confidence Shaken That the recent loss of German warships has shaken the German confidence is to be expected, and authoritative London circles believe that the grossly exaggerated claims made by the German Government, which more than reveals the true story of yesterday’s air battle, represent an attempt to counteract the impression made on the German public by the loss of the Admiral Graf Spee. * The news of this could not be suppressed or minimised, as in the case of less universally known German defeats. The same interpretation is put on the German story of an air battle over Sylt yesterday, which in fact never took place, although it is true that unmolested Royal Air Force patrols over that and the South Frisian Islands were almost continuously carried out on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday of last week. These patrols, it seems, have had the effect of keeping German seaplanes fixed to their base, because since they began no enemy seaplane has approached the British coast. , Whatever the future may hold it is beyond dispute that the British sea patrols are gaining valuable experience, which will be put to good use. A Berlin semi-official statement says there was a second British raid on the Frisian Islands yesterday evening. Bombs were dropped at random, but no damage was done. The planes were driven off by gunfire. A naval trawler landed at a northeast coast port four British airmen, who were picked up from a collapsible boat. It is believed that they participated in the Heligoland battle yesterday, and that their plane was forced down owing to lack of fuel. Bombs and Machine-Guns German airmen, using bombs and machine-guns, sank the trawler Zealous. The crew landed in East Scotland after thirteen hours in an open boat. The trawler Astfos returned safely after bombs had missed her. The trawler Ocean View was slightly damaged. None of the crew was hurt. The British United Press’ Copenhagen correspondent states that a mine sank the Danish Steamer Bogo. A trawler picked up the crew.