SHOT DOWN?

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 295, 14 December 1938, Page 11

SHOT DOWN?

JAP. BOMBING 'PLANES. Reported Action By American Gunboat. FRENCH FOLLOWS SUIT. Independent Cable Service. (Received 12 noon.) SHANGHAI, December 13. It is reliably reported that the American gunboat Luzon, steaming off Hankow recently, shot down a Japanese bomber flying over her menacingly, despite repeated warnings to keep off.

At the same time an unnamed French gunboat nearby also opened tire and brought down two other low-flying Japanese machines.

Rear-Admiral Le Breton, aboard the Luzon, who secured photographic records of the incidents, is reported to have declared as a 'plane approached: "They aren't going to wake another Panav out of us."'

Immediately he ordered the gunners to open lire.

NO CONFIRMATION. REPORT OF INCIDENT. (Received 1 p.m.) LONDON". December 13. ' Xo confirmation has been received by tlie Chinese, Japanese, Kritish, American and French Governments of the American report that French and American warships shot down three .Japanese bombers in the vicinity of Hankow.

An - officer of the Luzon, on arrival at Shanghai, informed Renter's that they did not encounter military or navigational hazards.

DISMANTLE COORONG. Wrecked Flying Boat to be Shipped Home. MAILS LITTLE DAMAGED. (Received 10 a.m.) DARYVIX, this day. The wrecked Imperial Airways flying boat Coorong, swept on to the rock's in a gale on Monday night, which, it is understood is insured for the full value (£00,000), will be dismantled where it lies and shipped to England to be reconstructed.

Although the Darwin postal officials refuse to make available the amount of mails aboard the Coorong, the percentage damaged and the addresses of consignment, it is known that the mails suffered little damage and are consigned mostly to Brisbane, Sydney and New Zealand.

FOCKE-WULF 'PLANES. GERMAN MACHINES FOR JAPS. (Received 10 a.m.) TOKYO, December 13. Japan has purchased five 2ti-seater Focke-Wulf monoplanes, similar to that which made the record flijrht from Berlin to Tokyo and later was forced down at sea near the Philippines on the return trip.

LARGE INCREASE. RECRUITING FOR R.A.F. British Official Wireless. RUGBY, December 13. The Air Ministry announces that Gl2 recruits joined the Royal Air Force ill the past week, compared with 221 in the corresponding week of 1037. This brings the total acceptances of pilots, observers, airmen and boys since April 1, 1938, to 21,040, compared with 10,681 for the corresponding period of 1937.

BRITISH AVIATION. SUBSIDY FOR SERVICES. LONDON", December 13. Internal air services are to receive £100,000 of the £3.000,000 civil aviation subsidy on the basis of capacity and ton mileage. The rate is to lie (id per ton mile for the first year, decreasing one halfpenny a year to 4d in the fifth year, to which the agreement is limited.

The maximum amount pavable to an individual company is £15,000 a year.