AN AIR BATTLE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 31, 16 November 1939, Page 6

AN AIR BATTLE

SINGLE-HANDED COMBAT. WELLINGTON PiLQT ENGAGED. NAZI ’PLANE SHOT DOWN. .'United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 1.5 p.m.) LONDON, November 15.

An account was given to-day by an eye-witness of the recent air battle in Franco in which a young New Zealand pilot brought down a German ’plane after a single-handed encounter. y “During my visit to the front,” he said, “I met, among other Empire airmen, a 21-year-old Wellington pilot who took part in the highest air battle that has over been fought. It took place at the incredible height of between four and five miles above the earth. The German machine, a big Dornier 17, lookbd about as big as a swallow in the early morning light. “Suddenly a British fighter appeared and dived down toward the German like a silver bullet. In spite of the great height of the machines - the spate ter of machine-guns could be heard. Apparently the German pilot was hit, for the Dornier went into a spiral dive and came down at terrific speed, probably about 600 miles an hour and dug a deep trench in a village street. . “The pilot told me afterwards that he spotted the German purely by chance and followed him dive during which his. machine reached a speed of 400 miles an hour. So great was the speed that it actually tore tiny strips of fabric from the wing-tip. The New Zealander said he saw the German at 27,000 feet and finished him off at 23,000 feet. ‘lt was just a bit of luck,’ was the way he put it to me.”