SEA AIR FIGHT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20143, 12 January 1940, Page 11

SEA AIR FIGHT

GERMANS DEPART TACTICS OF BRITONS NAZI SPEED OFFSETFORMATION FLYING SURVEY CARRIED OUT (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 3.10 p.m. RUGBY, Jan. 10. Further details of to-day’s air battle over the North Sea are now available. It is explained that the British aircraft were flying some 200 miles out from the English coast when enemy fighters, diving with the sun behind them, opened tile attack. In a hotly-contested engagement, which lasted for nearly half an hour, one British aircraft was shot down. One enemy fighter under the fire of the Royal Air Force formation was seen to crash into the sea at a high speed. Another German fighter was =o severely damaged that :t was only just able to reach the coast, oi Denmark where it wll be interned with the crew. The action was finally broken off by the enemy fighters. The Royal Air Force formation then continued its task and pressed the reconnaissance to a depth of a further 130 miles. The attack was carried out by a number of Germany’s latent and fastest fighters, twin-engined, multi-gun Messerschmidt 110 machines. The Royal Air Force aircraft men challenged their faster opponents by bringing the concentrated fire of the guns of several aircraft to bear on tile enemy fighters as they swept down to the attack. Nazis Beaten Off Even the heaviest close-range attacks were successfully beaten off b.v Royal Air Force craft keeping "shoulder to shoulder" in tight unshaken formation.

In the first wave of the fighter attack one of the Royal Air Force aircraft was hit and dropped astern of the ethers A second attack was launched immediately on this aircraft which was then seen to fall into the sea The score was evened up a few minutes later when an enemy fighter crashed into the water, throwing up great columns of foam within 400 yards of the nearest British aircraft.

Several Royal Air Force gunners had been firing at the enemy fighters. The plane which crashed was recovering from a dive preparatory to attacking when the pilot probably was hit by the British fire.

At least two other Messerschmidt 110 machines were also damaged by the Royal Air Force air gunners, but were not seen to crash. It is assumed that it is one of these damaged aircraft which later was forced to land in Denmark.

Altnough several of them bore signs of the fierce action in which they had taken so effective a part, the remaining British aircraft returned safely to the base.