A HOT RECEPTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 52, 29 August 1940, Page 12

A HOT RECEPTION

BOMBER OVER KIEL

CAUGHT BY SEARCHLIGHTS

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received August 29, 2.25 p.m.)

RUGBY, August 28,

A British pilot who took part in a heavy bombing attack on the naval dockyard at Kiel on Tuesday night says that he was flying at an extremely low altitude when making the attack. He says he gave the order to release bombs at 800 feet. "We shot down to 100 feet over the mole and just above the water," he said. "There seemed to be more searchlights than ever. At times I was blinded. It was impossible to see the results of the bombing. Suddenly, in 'front of me, I saw" a lot of trees coming up straight ahead. One of the searchlights, flattening out, had illuminated them just in time for me to see them. I pulled the aircraft up and went over the top. The trouble was that we didn't, dare to go up too high because as soon as we rose every gun in the place started opening, up. I tried going up to 300 feet, but all the guns in the area seemed to be banging away at us. It was incredible.

"We went down low again and flew over the town at about a hundred feet. The front and rear gunners were blazing away at points of fire on the ground. They used up about 3000 rounds between them. "We must have stayed over the town about ten minutes, just charging backwards and forwards trying to get away. Practically all the time we were at about a hundred feet I was trying to head west, but as soon as I did so they put up a terrific barrage in front of us. I just hoped to get out of it, but I must say I never really expected that we would. "We went south, zig-zagging all the time. We got to about 15 miles away and then, although we were being shot at, we were able to gain height. As we went up we had to take violent evasive action all the time. Finally, we got away." •