HUGE AIR FLEET

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20034, 5 September 1939, Page 5

HUGE AIR FLEET

HOLLAND SKIRTED ENGAGEMENT REPORTED INQUIRY OF POWERS SIX MILLION PAMPHLETS BRITISH PLANE CARGOES (Reed. Sept. 5, noon.) NEW YORK, Sept. 4 The Amsterdam correspondent of the United Press of America states that numerous aeroplanes of unidentified nationality, believed to comprise a tremendous air fleet, skirted Holland shortly after midnight on Sunday, proceeding towards Germany in the direction of Bremen, Berlin and the naval base of Wilhelm shaven. The Copenhagen correspondent of the New York Times states that an unidentified Netherlands wireless station reported that an air battle was proceeding over Frieslandund, Netherlands. The Netherlands Government had issued a communique stressing the seriousness of the violation of their neutrality

The Government is requesting both parties to investigate whether their forces are responsible and to take measures to prevent a repetition of such flights. A further message from the United Press’ London correspondent says that the Ministry of Information issued a communique that the Royal Air Force had made extensive reconnaissance flights over -northern and western Germany, last night, without enemy aircraft engaging the planes. A later report from the United Press' Amsterdam correspondent states that the Netherlands radio said that German bombers had been sighted flying west over Netherlands territory. j The British Air Force conducted a reconnaissance over Germany a’nd dropped 6,000,000 copies of a leaflet to the German people. The planes were not molested.