TURNED TAIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 234, 2 October 1940, Page 7

TURNED TAIL.

18 ENEMY BOMBERS.

Group-Captain's Lone-Handed

Harassing Raid.

British Official Wireless. (Reed, noon.) RUGBY, Oct. 1. A group-captain of the Fighter Command went up in a Hurricane last evening to watch his squadrons at work. "When he came down, he had made 18 Heinkel bombers turn tail, had destroyed one Messerschmitt 109, and also watched one Messerschmitt shoot down "another by mistake. He was not seeking fight.

The group-captain —a rank corresponding to colonel in the army and captain in the navy—had gone up to study the battle movements of the squadron under his command to find out whether tactics or training could be improved.

At 17,000 ft he met 18 Heinkel 111 bombers flying north over Surrey, with Messerechmitts 109 above them. The group-captain immediately closed with the bonibei'3, harassing them with headon attacks until they flew south, away from him.

Then he went after the Mesaerschmitt fighters. Three of them were pressing another Hurricane, but the pilot, by brilliant flying, managed to evade them and dive down out of their reach.

The Messerschmitts were in line aetern, and the group-captain was just about to dive on them from behind when he was astonished to see the first Messerschmitt burst into flames and its plot bale out.

KNIGHTED BY KING.

RIVER PLATE AFTERMATH. British Official Wireless. (Reed, noon.) RUGBY, Oct. 1. Kear-Admiral Sir H. H. Harwood, commander of the British cruiser squadron at the River Plate engagement in December, when the German pocket battleship Graf Spee "was put out of action, returned home for the first time since his great victory, and to-day was knighted by the King at Buckingham Palace.

WELCOMED AT HOME.

N.Z. SERVICE DRAFTS

(Reed. 2 p.m.)

LONDON, Oct. 1

The High Commissioner for New Zealand, Mr. W. J. Jordan, welcomed additional New Zealand naval and air force drafts.

The captain of the transport ship highly praised the men and expressed thanks for the assistance they gave throughout the voyage home.

LOVELOCK HAS A FALL.

(Reed. 11 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 1. Dr. J. E. Lovelock, the famous New Zealand athlete, fell from a horse while hunting and broke hie collarbone.