GREAT AIR BATTLE

Evening Star, Issue 23651, 10 August 1940, Page 11

GREAT AIR BATTLE

RIOS LOSE HEAVILY

*m SIXTY PLANES DESTROYED TMHFN FN N.A.F. Am Association—By Telegraph-Copyright LONDON, August 9. Germany yesterday launched the greatest and most determined’nir attack •gainst Britain since the outbreak of war, when over 300 dive-bombers and fighters carried out a series of attacks •gainst Channel shipping over a period of nine houre. They attacked in groups of'about'Bo planes, culminating in a final raid of 150 machines between 4 and fi p.m. . It is estimated, that the Germans dropped 2,000 bombs, but the convoy- continued to steam on. The 8.A.F., in reply, wiped out at least 60—the biggest triumph in the tattle , for .Britain and the largest bag since Dunkirk. Another plane was brought down by anti-aircraft fire from • battleship and the crew were rescued. Of the 16 British fighters lost, it is known that three of the pilots are safe. Thi* i* Britain’* reply to Germany’s attempt to blockade Britain by air. Germany lost mere than .100 skilled personnel and plane* worth over £500,000, the wreckage of which was strewn over the wateri of the Channel. E-BOATS. * The Times ’ says that the German E-boats which attacked the convoy are of 30 to 40 tons, but some of the newer odm may be larger. They are motor driven, 100 ft long, have a speed of 20 to 30 knots, and carry torpedoes or depth charges and pompoms firing shell. They have also, been used for minelaying. YOUTHFUL PRISONER. One German plane during the afternoon battle made a forced landing in a field, and Soldiers took prisoner a 17-year-old member of the crew who was wounded in a leg, and they lifted lui comrade from the wrecked machine. TTie latter died in their arms. RAIN OF BOMBS. M Bombs have been dropping almost continuously since dawn,” said a Channel coast resident, “ hut thanks to British fighters all have fallen into the sea. So have a number of German planes. The whole countryside is littered with spent bullets.” A Junkers attempted to bomb a warship on the south-east coast, but fled when anti-aircraft guns put up a heavy barrage.’ , A GERMAN VERSION. A German communique says: “A German air attack on a convoy sank 12 ■hips totalling 55,000 tons and damaged seven;'“ During enshifig combats five British fighters were shot down and one of ours is missing. A further 28 fighters were shot down in later combats, two: of our planes being lost. Motor torpedo boats attacked a strongly-pro-tected convoy and sank ah 8,000-ton tinker and two-steamers of 4,000 to 5.000 tons each, and set fire to a smaller tanker.” ’■ ■ , ■ • AUTHORITATIVE FIGURES BRITAIN'S CLEAR-CUT VICTORY REMAN GUMS RIBNSEI IF (British’Official Wireless.) RUGBY, 'August 9. (Received -August 10, at 10.45 a.m.): i Authoritative figures relating to leases to shipping in yesterday’s air attack on convoys in the English Channel were. given in London and effectively duqmee of the claims in to-day’s German High Command communique. In the first attack, which took place in darkness and was carried out by E-boats, three small ships were sunk, as - announced by the Admiralty last night. (Their total,tonnage was approximately ,■2)500. One E-boat was sunk by gunIfife and' another is believed to have keen very seriously damaged. According to the German claims, this ' attack accounted for three ships with • total tonnage of 17,000. It is significant comment on this claim that the aggregate tonnage of the whole convoy, ■which consisted of over 20 ships, was only about 18,000. During the succeeding air attacks by day the Germans claim to have sunk 12 ships totalling between 50,000 and 66.000 tons and to have damaged seven others. The latter part of the claim is correct. Seven ships were damaged and have been brought safely into port. All these ships were small, only two being over 1,000 tons. Two ships, totalling 2,540 tons, were sunk.. Thus, out of the convoy of well over 20 ships (oh these voyages some ships leave convoy for. coastal ports and others join the convoy, making it difficult to give exact numbers), for the, cost of at least 60 planes and their irreplaceable crews and one E-bpat sunk and one badly damaged, Germany destroyed SX&9 tons of shipping, damaged about the same amount, and destroyed 16 British fighters. A feature of the convoy protection was the first recorded presence of the barrage balloon. LONE RAIDER SHOT DOWN AMi TV NGf MMS FIRST (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 9. (Received August 10, at 10.45 a.m.) A Ministry of Home Security com-•auujMfi-(tabes* -• Shortlt before mid-

day a single enemy aircraft crossed the north-east coast of England and dropped a number of high explosive bombs. Damage was done to houses and industrial property in a coastal town. There were a number of casualties, only one of which was fatal. Anti-aircraft guns and R.A.F. fighters engaged the enemy bomber and shot it down into the sea.” ANOTHER BOMBER BROUGHT DOWN CREW TAKEN FRISINER LONDON, August 9. (Received August 10, at noon.) Seven Dutch sailors, including two who were seriously injured, arrived at a south-west port after being machinegunned several times by German raiders during yesterday’s attack against the convoy. Anti-aircraft guns brought down a German bomber off the north-east coast this morning. The bomber adopted glide bombing tactics in order to avoid the ground batteries. The crew of three escaped;from the machine in a rubber boat and were taken prisoner. Two German fighters unsuccessfully attacked the south-east coast early this evening. They came in twice, peppering their objective with cannon shells. Anti-aircraft defences drove them off. The Ministry of Home Security reported that bombs fell last night in south-western districts of England. There were some damage and casualties, one of which was fatal. The Air Ministry news service states that about 400 German planes were sighted ovpr the Channel during yesterday’s actions, which were in three parts at intervals of # more than an hour. It is therefore probable that many of the enemy went into action repeatedly after refuelling and rearming in France. The seven additional losses consisted of five Junkers and two Messerschmitts. COLOURFUL HA2I ACCOUNT RIDICULRUB CLAIMS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 9. (Received August 10, at 10.5 a.m.) The following authoritative comment was made on the German High Command communique in London: —“ Today’s German High Command communique, while multiplying by three the actual number of British fighters lost in yesterday’s air battles, avoids mentioning that the German air force lost 60 machines —probably about oneseventh of the German machines engaged. The typically hasty estimates of the shipping sunk or damaged in the attacka on the convoy will prove, when the full facts become available, to be equally far from the truth. It is already known that the convoy contained no tanker, nor, indeed, any ship approaching the tonnage figures for the single ships given in the German claims.” LBN LIST CF “SUCCESSES" BERLIN, August 9. (Received August 10, at 11.10 a.m.) A communique states: “Our motor torpedo-boats attacked a strongly protected convoy on the night of August 7-8. Despite intense defence from the accompanying enemy destroyers, from other convoy units, and from the strongly-armed merchantmen themselves, we sank an 8,000-ton tanker, a 5,000-ton steamer, a 4,000-ton steamer, and set fire to a smaller tanker. Our torpedo-boats returned undamaged. “German dive-bombers,’with an escort of fighters, attacked stronglyguarded British convoys southwards of the Ise of Wight on August 8. Twelve merchantmen, totalling 55,000 tons, were sunk, and seven others severely damaged. Our air force sank or damaged a total of 28 British ships yesterday. Messerschmitts destroyed 12 barrage balloons near Dover. ’ “ German fighters hit 49 British machines, including 33 Spitfires, during the larger air battle near the Isle of Wight, and over Dover. We lost 10 planes. Two made forced landings.” “ Our planes carried out night attacks on British aeroplane industries in the vicinity of Liverpool and Bristol, in addition to harbours, aerodromes, and anti-aircraft positions in southern England, . The mining of the entrances to British ports from the air was continued, according to plan. “ British planes last night penetrated different places in western Germany. Our defences forced part of the enemy planes to turn tail or prevented them from bombing. Isolated bombs caused insignificant damage to houses and fields. Some people were injured at a small place in a frontier region. Anti-aircraft guns shot down two •enemy planes,”