THIRTY DOWNED IN FOUR NIGHTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 86, 12 April 1941, Page 7

THIRTY DOWNED IN FOUR NIGHTS.

FIGHTERS V. RAIDERS.

New Zealand Gunner Wipes Off Nazi Bomber.

British Official Wirolpss.

(Rectf. 1 p.m.)

RLTIHY, April II

The growing efficacy of our night fighters in the destruction of enemy bombers is seen in the fact that in four nights R.A.F. night fighters doubled their score for the year. In clear moonlight, above the clouds, stales 6 Air Ministry news service, they ? ot at least nine enemy raiders last night, bringing the total for lour nights to thirty—which is one ®ore than the number they shot down « January, February and March.

J", addition. last night one enemy ID er was also brought down bv anti•ircraft fire.

Jr ® r 'tain's former civil air line „' t.; B ' a mcn witl ' hundreds of hours of >g t flying to their credit, and manv ousands of miles of peace-time jouryt in their log books, each brought wn two. One of them is a Hurricane F 0 ' wh° destroyed tNvo cnemv planes o® seco,Kl in three nights, and third time this vear.

, e P a trolled just before midnight and a Junkers 88 doNvn in a vertical ve With the first burst from his gun.--, ssing the raider down, he got in one in*' 6 r silw " lc '''inkers crash * field, scattering in burning pieces r m °re than 100 vards.

Aftet ni id night this pilot went up gam Within 15 minutes lie ha:l intercepted a Heinkel 111. The first burst om his guns caused something to blow p in the raider and temporarily Minded lm - When he could see again he got » a second burst that sent the Heinkel a steep dive lo -pread itself in picces on the ground.

in ,' lcr c 'vil air line pilot, honv flyg with a famous fighter squadron, cored the other double. In his first inT-" 1 * 61 " ' IC stalked an enemy bomber f ' a ft- er opening fire, saw large chur.ks the raider falling aNvay. A further lmln '*• down in a vertical dive n u it hit the ground in flames near "'c south coast.

i " ,e fame patrol lie saw another tober and again crept up close. tjreal P® Ces of the raider flew oIT at '.lie fir-it n ., rst ari d covered his windscreen with i which made him lose sight erf the nemy for a nioment. He picked it. up gain and was getting into position for p lior attack when bombs in the exploded. It hit the ground i

l'olir 0 f (] |r r;l j,] e ,- s destroyed last 'R'lt were victims of one squadron, in another squadron success came a gunner from New Zealand, whose pCUrate fire set a raider alight in L'.e ■» over the Midlands.

io'jLi*!!? l * l arrangement Reuters World Service ll to other special sources oi intormatlon "Iltlhlr— ,n the compilation ol tile oversea# ? e published in this issue, and all rights » Australia and New Zealand are reserved tl-ll) 2' the cabre news on this pag- as is so 1 th°, «PP6arcd In 'The Times' 1 and IS sent 'ifrrttml Fl. special permission. It should be "ih- -rUS the opinions are not those ol Unu unless ezpresilj (toted to be *oJ