FOOLHARDY RISKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 228, 25 September 1940, Page 5

FOOLHARDY RISKS.

DARING NAZI FLYER.

"BRITAIN'S NEW TOY"?

LONDON, August Iβ. Bombing raids occupied the minds of most people in southern K"g j ""*l again to-day. This morning on the south coast it was quiet after the terrific excitement of yesterday, but later a large number of German bombers, heavily escorted, came across from the English Channel. What they did when they reached their destination must be left to official statements. I siall tell only what I actually saw, or such part of it as the censors will permit. Five German fighters appeared suddenly from the clouds inland in the evening and began diving to machine-gun the barrage balloons. The sudden outbreak of anti-aircraft guns from all directions made a hellish concentration of noise just over the beach. Yet before our eyes one of these German fighters—in fact very near—performed the most foolhardy stunt I have ever seen. He dived down to a low altitude beneath oue of the balloons, and for one tremendous moment he zoomed alonp. a black shape in the midst of fiery tracer bullets, trying to get that balloon. There were enough "flaming onions* around him to brinir down a dozen such !'planes. Of course he was shot down |and f>l! into the sea.

I To-day, inte in the morning, we -were driving "along the eouth coa--t and turn'ing toward London when very bis formations of German bombers came directly lover us. I counted 17 bombers flying very 'high in jierfeft formation, and could di«-tinirui-ii specks around the edses. which must have l«*n their lighter escorts, but lunqueotinnahir there were many we could not see. The a.r on that sunny, upland heath wes filled with a roaring like that of N'iagara Falls. i London papers to-day print the German communique from last night with its contemptuous reference to "Britain's new toy." We. who sew this new toy in operation, are not allowed to ni-eutioa lit.—(X.A.X-A.)