NIGHT OPERATIONS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 9, 6 October 1941, Page 8

NIGHT OPERATIONS

Dunkirk, Antwerp And Rotterdam Bombed ATTACK ON DENMARK (British Official Wireless.) (Received October 5, 7.30 p.m.) RUGBY, October 4. An Air Ministry communique states that, aircraft of the Bomber Command last night attacked the docks at Dunkirk, Rotterdam and Antwerp. Bombs were also dropped on the docks at Brest. Operations by Coastal Command airi craft included a night, attack on enemy I aerodromes .at Aalborg. I At dusk bur lighters on offensive i patrol attacked with cannon and machine-gun tire an enemy aerodrome in northern France. One aircraft of i the Coastal Command is missing. I it is officially stated that pilots of Coastal Command Hudsons, making their first raid over,enemy territory, last night bombed from only a few hundred feet to be sure of hitting their targets, which were aerodromes and docks in Aalborg, in northern Denmark. The crews are members of a Yorkshire auxiliary squadron. Some of them who trained under the Empire scheme arrived recently from Canada. The Hudsons cruised for nearly half an hour over the aerodromes before releasing their bombs, which fell on runways and buildings. A Perfect Set Up. “It was a perfect set up,” said one Canadian pilot describing the bombing conditions. Diving over the docks'at Aalborg, which was clearly outlined in brilliant moonlight, another Hudson unloaded a stick of bombs which fell near ar large gasworks. After the bomb flashes a fierce red glow spread rapidly among the surrounding buildings. Hurricane fighters attacked an enemy supply ship escorted by seven flak ships off Gravelines yesterday moruiug. One flak ship was sunk and a supply ship and three flak ships set on fire. The remaining three were badly damaged. Blenheim bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked the docks at Ostend yesteray afternoon and several fires. ■ An' enemy fighter was destroyed. Three R.A.F. fighters are missing from this and other operations.

The American Eagle squadron of the Fighter Command destroyed five Me. 100’s on Thursday, not four as previously announced. A pilot officer who made no claim for having even damaged a German fighter when bis squadron returned from a scrap over northern France, was credited with the fifth, on the strength’ of evidence supplied by two other pilots in the squadron. End of a Messerschmitt. The pilot officer fired at a Messerschmitt from long range while diving on to its tail. He saw no effect from his bullets, beyond the machine being pulled up out of its : dive and being turned away out of bis line of fire. So he cut in across the turn and fired again. This time he saw black smoke from the Messerschmitt, but thought it was only caused by the engine choking as the German pilot pushed the throttle wide open to try to escape. The pilot officer turned and re-formed with his section.

Two other members of the Eagle squadron, who were behind him, then saw the stream of black smoke from the Messerschmitt suddenly billow into a cloud- A moment later the machine burst into flames and. dived down. Crashing a Junkers 88 which he saw silhouetted against the sea in the moonlight, the commanding officer of a 12-gun Hurricane squadron stationed in Scotland recently raised the number of his night victories over German bombers to six. The Junkers was flying about 20 miles out to sea when it passed the squadron leader in the opposite direction. Dive Into the Sea.

“It was going away very fast aud looked as though it was hurrying home to its base,” be said. “I overtook it, and after my first burst of lire one of the enemy gunners was silenced and my third set the fuselage on fire. "The Junkers dived steeply, and as I followed it down from about 7000 to 2000 feet at over 300 miles an hour, the whole fuselage became alight from end to end. The machine dived straight into the sea.” The squadron leader, who was recently awarded a bar to his D.F.C - now has 17 confirmed victories.