BOMBER'S ESCAPE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 88, 15 April 1941, Page 7

BOMBER'S ESCAPE.

LIMPS BACK HOME.

Skill Of Pilot; Toughness Of

British Machines

British i Wireless. (lie.J. 1:2.30 ji.ni.) KLTJIJY. .\pril 14. llow the skill ut a pilot and the toughness ut' 11 i - aircraft won a victory against a German night tighter and brought his crew and tho bomber saicly home on one engine and with half the rudder troiie "was told in an Air Ministry ei>iiiinuiiii|iu'. \\ hile the bo n i be.r w i; om i i.o w;i v back Iniin an attack on a li-rn-.ui t'Wn a Mcwciv-elnnit l intercepted it. ami a: the liogiiinui" ipl tlie encounter j .ut one of it- engine* nut of action. !I:i' 1«•;pierced the. fu-elape. bioke th- wii, apparatus and \vr.mi<!e,l one of the eieu ill the shoulder.

I lien the enemy came b.i'.div on t< the attack from the rear, but too boldly and the tip of his win? smashed into j

bomber's rudder. Half the rudder came away, but jhe enemy ohvinu*lv had the \vor«-t of the collie-ion for he dived »teo|>ly away apparently out of control.

Hut to control the bomber the pilot had to u.-e all his -kill. Ill* machine -eemed to be hobbling along, and on tin*, way back oxer Oermany ami ]I<•) lit coiil.l not get above Too fc -t. Townand villages b>oke«l nncoinfoi t.ib!v ,Kiv. ■ ind by the time il reached i 1 l)n!.!i coast it vva« down to ."iOO f.e.t. The pilot thought it would be belter to chance the mm rather than land in Holland and be taken prisoner.

lo lighten the aircraft thev tin cw e\ cry thing l«o«e out. Then t hc\ dis covered a heavy bomb »-1 i. 1 underneath them—shrapnel from ant i-airci .1 ft I.it teries must have disorganized the rclca-e apparatus when they were over their target.

As soon as 1110 liomb was clear I lie pilot wa> able ti> pet ii|> to I((00 fed. J'hough the plane was ill difficult to steer he managed to keep it on its course safely. lie. cro>aC(l the North Sea and landed without further mishap.

RAIDS ON BRITAIN.

More Daylight Activity. But

Damage Slight.

TRAWLER DOWNS BOMBER

British Official Wireless

(Reed. 1.30 p.m.i RUGBY. April 14

An Air Ministry communique states; — "There has been rather more daylight activity over Britain to-day than %f late. Knemy aircraft flying singly dropped bombs on several widely separated places and various parts 01" the country. There were very few casualties and, though damage was done at sotnc points, it was nowhere very <rreat. Machine-gun attacks were also made at some points, but were entirely ineffective.

"An enemy bomber was destroyed over Xorth Wale«s last night."

An Admiralty communique states that in the early hours of this morning a Heinkel 111. was shot down l>v Hi* Majesty's trawler Kingston Aml»er. No damage or casualties were sustained by the trawler.

A Belfast communique states that enemy aircraft flew over Northern Ireland this afternoon, but no damage or casualties have c-o far been reported.

NAZI SHIPS BOMBED.

OFF NORTH SEA COAST

(Reed. 12.30 p.m.) RL'GBY, April 14

An Air Ministry communique states that on Sunday aircraft of the Bomber Command attacked enemy shipping oil tlie Dutch and German coasts. A supply ship of about 1")00 tons was hit by two bombs and its decks machinegunned. The funnel was seen to fall, and when last seen the ship was well down bv the stern.

A naval patrol vessel and a supply »hip of abotit 2000 tons were also bombed and machine-gunned. From these operations one British aircraft is missing.

Last night bombers of the same command continued the attack on the Merignac aerodrome, near Bordeaux. Buildings were hit and hangars were seen burning. The docks at Bordeaux were also attacked.

N'o British aircraft are missing from these night, operations.