NAZI LOSSES IN WEEK-END

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23085, 30 July 1940, Page 7

NAZI LOSSES IN WEEK-END

Thirteen Raiders Destroyed BOMBS DROPPED IN WALES (TOUTED PRXS3 ASSOCIATION —COPTEIGKT.) (Received July 29, 11 p.m.) 1 LONDON, July 29. Many raiders participated in the longest raid Wales has had since the outbreak of war. It lasted for three and a half hours. Eleven bombs fell in one district, slightly damaging a farm building. Others fell in open country. Four heavy bombs fell in another district. One raider was shot down into the sea in flames and several others are believed to have been crippled in a sharp air battle over the south-east of, England this morning. A large number of aeroplanes were engaged. The battle was fought over land and sea at a great height. . A raider dropped a number of incendiary bombs in a Midland town during the night. One fell in a bedroom in which three children were sleeping. The fire was quickly extinguished. The Ministry of Home Security reports that a number of German raiders were over Britain last night and that bombs caused some damage to houses and a small number of casualties. Nine German raiders was the bag of Britain in actions yesterday. Five of the enemy machines were shot down in an air battle off the south-east coast. Two British fighters were lost, but the pilot of one, though wounded, is safe. On Saturday Britain lost two fighters. The big air battle of yesterday took place off the south-east coast early in the afternoon, when waves of Messerschmitt 109’s, flying. nearly six miles up, dived out of the sun. Spitfires raced up to intercept them. Two 7 Messerschmitts shot down by the pilots of one squadron were seen to crash in the sea. A third exploded in mid-air. The pilots of another Spitfire squadron first attacked the Messersclpnitts when they were flying in line abreast at a height of 30,000 feet. One enemy fighter, after being attacked, went down vertically,, enveloped in smoke. A fellow Spitfire pilot, flying 20,000 feet below, saw the same crippled Messerschmitt still diving towards the sea. Later a British flight lieutenant sent a Messerschmitt down in a spin and on fire. The same pilot attacked and hit one of the latest enemy fighters, a Heinkel 113. Junkers Shot Down The first enemy aircraft destroyed during the day—a Junkers 88 bomber —was shot down off the south-west coast of England by Spitfires soon after dawn. Shortly afterwards another Junkers 88 was brought down on the south-east coast of England. New methods have been used dining the week-end by the German air force. To make tip-and-run raids on British harbours safer, Messerschmitt 109's single-seater fighters no bigger than Spitfires and Hurricanes have dropped bombs. These Messerschmitts are fitted to carry high-explosive bombs. They fly in high and dive out of the clouds to drop their bombs and then try to make for home before the British fighters can catch them. The Germans have found that the British are taking too heavy a toll of their regular bombers on these coastal raids, and they hope by using highspeed fighters to save their aircraft and, more' important, to save pilots; but these tactics are not proving too successful. During the last few days Spitfires and Hurricanes have shot down at least 31 Messerschmitt 109’s. In yesterday afternoon’s fights off the southeast coast of England Spitfires shot down five of them and damaged several others. _ Two ,other aircraft were shot down into the English Channel by Hurricanes. This brought the total number of Nazi raiders destroyed this week-end to 13. There was a series of air battles oyer south-east England on Saturday afternoon. After the raiders had crossed the coast at a high altitude observers heard machine-gun fire and cannon fire above the clouds, also aeroplanes diving at tremendous speed. Royal Air Force fighters, flying at 10,000 to 20,000 feet, hunted the raiders, who hid in the clouds. It is estimated that 70 aeroplanes took part. A German raider who emerged from the cover of a cloud found a British fighter sitting on his tail. After a short chase out to sea, the fighter got in a sharp burst and the enemy crashed in flames in mid-ChanneL Two members of the crew escaped by parachute. British torpedo-boats dashed Out and picked them up. Two German aeroplanes were brought down several miles inland. No bombs were dropped in this series of battles. Ten bombs were dropped in Wales, mostly in fields, and* there were no casualties.