RAF. FIGHTERS DOWN GERMAN RAIDERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 157, 4 July 1940, Page 8

RAF. FIGHTERS DOWN GERMAN RAIDERS.

COMBATS OiV COAST.

Hit And Run Tactics Of

Enemy.

DEFENCES PROVE STRONG. British Official Wireless. (Received 2.30 p.m.) RUGBY, July 3. Besides the five German bombers destroyed in to-day's air raids on Britain four more 'planes were also damaged. The raids were of the hit and ritn type, and in' most cases the Nazi bombers approached the coast singly in the morning.

Three Spitfire pilots after attacking a Dornier "flying pencil" bomber watt-Bed it turn on its back and crash into the sea. They were patrolling along the past coast of England when they sighted two Dorniers about five miles away. They each attacked the nearest enemy bomber. After a few seconds one Dornier caught fire and soon flames enveloped the whole machine. Following it down, the fighter pilots saw it dive into the sea.

the Spitfires then attacked the other Dornier, but the bomber disappeared into the clouds badly damaged. About lunch time a fighter pilot tired three bursts from his eight machine guns at a third Dornier 17 12,000 ft up off the north-east coast of England. Clouds again helped the enemy raider to evade further attack.

A little later an enemy aircraft, believed to have been a Heinkel 111, fell into the sea off the Aberdeenshire coast. It bad been attacked by Spitfires and had put up a stiff resistance, but at the end of the fight the bomber glided down on to the surface of the water. The Spitfire pilots saw two rubber boats being launched from it. Early in the afternoon a Junkers 88 bomber was engaged and shot down into the eea off the Scottish coast. Three members of the crew were seen to take to a rubber boat. Shortly afterwards two Spitfires patrolling the eolith-east coast of England intercepted and shot down another Dwnier Flying l'eneil.

During the afternoon Hurricane pilots engaged and damaged a German Heinkel 111. bomber over the English Channel. Before the raider disappeared into a cloud, the fighter pilots taw their machine-gun bullets hit the neiukefc fuselage. After their second attack, the bomber's rear gunner was silenced.

Soon after another patrol of Hurricanes attacked a Dornier 215 bomber off the east coast of England. Shortly after 7 μ-m., Spitfires raced out to sea to intercept another enemy bomber. Six minutes after taking off they .shot it d»w» in flames.