FLARES DROPPED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20184, 29 February 1940, Page 7

FLARES DROPPED

ROYAL AIR FORCE PILOTS OVER BERLIN DENIAL BY GERMANS END OF HEINKELS ATTACKS BY SPITFIRES (Elec. Tel. Copyright— United Press Assn.) (Reed. Feb. 28. 2.50 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 27. During the Royal Air Force flight last night over Berlin, the planes flew up and down over the principal Berlin streets, throwing down flares and thousands of leaflets. The raiders clearly observed the outlay of Berlin. The reconnaissance planes met obstruction only when returning over the Ruhr where heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered, while varicoloured searchlights criss-crossed the skies. Royal Air Force pilots flew over Cologne, Dusseldorf. Emden, Duisberg and Dortmund A Berlin message states it is officially denied that British planes reached Berlin. It is stated that no foreign planes were seen eastward of the Elbe. The shooting down of two Heinnels ended one of the liveliest periods of air activity since the outbreak of the war. Less than an hour after the destruction of the first raider near the Firth of Forth, Soitfires sighted the other Heinkel, which dived down over the sea. The Spitfires followed, attacking the Heinkel only 20ft above the water. Efforts at Rescue A Royal Air Force _ pilot, after several bursts of machine-gun fire, saw the Heinkel’s starboard engine fail and a large piece of the plane fall off. The machine settled down on the sea and three members of the crew launched a rubber boat. Royal Air Force cutters searched for several hours for the German crew, but the conditions were unfavourable and finally the cutters gave un the search at nightfall, when any hope of rescue was slight. While the Spitfires were fiercely engaging the Heinkels off the British coast, the Germans challenged a further Royal Air Force reconnaissance flight over the Heligoland Bight The Air Ministry, describing the flight as successful, adds: “One of our machines failed to return." This accords with a German official news agency claim that a British plane was shot down during the afternoon. A Paris message states that six persons were injured when an anti-air-craft shell burst during last nights air raid alarm