RAIDING PLANES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20066, 12 October 1939, Page 7

RAIDING PLANES

BRITISH SHIPS OF WAR BOMBS ESCAPED ATTACK AT 5000 FT, NORTH SEA FIGHT (Elec. To). Copyright—United Press Assn. (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 2.30 p.m. RUGBY, Oct. 10. An Admiralty communique states that although despatches have not been received, a somewhat fuller account may now be given of the series of minor actions in the North Sea reported yesterday. An enemy squadron was reported and shadowed by a British patrol on Sunday afternoon. Aware that its presence was known, the enemy squadron appears to have turned back and in the night to have eluded the British forces which did not sight it. On Monday morning a British destroyer in a heavy sea sighted enemy aircraft and turned stern on to the sea to fight her guns. A level bombing attack was made at 5000 ft. One bomb burst about 400 yards to starboard. A second and larger aircraft making a similar attack was probably hit by the British guns. Half a Mile Wide Three larger bombs were dropped. They again fell wide this time about half a mile from the ship. The first attacker came back and tried a dive-bombing attack, but was driven off by the destroyer’s fire. The aircraft may have been hit. Two bombs were dropped and missed by over 200yds. On the same afternoon a British cruiser squadron was attacked by bombers and engaged them for over an hour. In returning towards her base a British destroyer developed a main engine defect in no way connected with any enemy action. She reached jjort safely this morning: No British Damage In none of these actions has any British ship been hit or damaged and there have been no British casualties. The enemy casualties are still unknown, but reports from neutral countries indicate that several machines failed to return to Germany. A Berlin message states that the German High Command to-day claimed that two bombs hit a British warship during a raid off Norway yesterday. Later it was announced in Berlin that “six specially hard hits were made on British cruisers” when German bombers attacked them in the North Sea off the west coast of Norway yesterday. The signs of the success were explosions and smoke abotnul- the cruisers. Two of the attacking bombers were forced to land in Denmark. The crews were not hurt. It is pointed out in London that the Admiralty had already stated that no British ship was damaged.