LOW-FLYING ATTACKS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20708, 7 March 1942, Page 5

LOW-FLYING ATTACKS

CANNON-FIRING FIGHTERS HIT AND RUN FOR HOME \ LONDON, Mar. 3. The tactics of the cannon-firing fighters attacking the French factorier working > for the Germans war described by the leader of a Spitfire squadron, says the British official wireless. “There was nothing haphazard about these attacks,” he said “no sudden dash over the coast blazing away with cannon and machine-guns at nothing in particular, with Spitfires flying low. “The target is carefully chosen. Then we make an extremely careful study of roads, railways and rivers. This is most important, as once the French coast is crossed it is preferable to navigate without a map. When all the pilots are certain of the course and the target we take off and, once away from the land, go right down to sea level. This makes the aircraft almost invisible. When we reach the French coast every advantage is taken of cloud cover.

“We do not really object to fighter opposition so long as the odds are pretty fair,” continued the leader, “but flak is the most serious thing we have to look out for on the other side. Flak can be very accurate and intense, so if the target is important a surprise attack is very necessary. Usually each aircraft makes one attack and then it sneaks away at low level- and tries to hide behind buildings and trees while the others carry on. “Our intelligence officer tells us the best part of a factory to hit to cause the maximum damage and we concentrate on that. The best fun of all is when there is something explosive in the factory, and then one of our chaps hits the right spot. Only the other day, when four of us went for a factory from different directions, firing as we came, we saw huge sections thrown into the air. Then flames began to spread and smoke shot up 500 ft. in the air.

“When our attack is over we streak for home. On the way back many a pilot offers a silent prayer for his single engine, which may have been hit in a vulnerable spot by flak. Some people ask if these low-level attacks are worth while. From experience I would 'say that, although with our cannon and machine-guns we do not pretend to do what the Bomber and Coastal Commands do with bombs, we do help to upset the German economic war effort. What is more, we believe our sudden incursions do a lot to upset the Germans’ morale, to say nothing of heartening the French.”