AN AIR BATTLE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 September 1928, Page 2

AN AIR BATTLE

ATTACK ON LONDON

LONDON, Aug. Iff

Over a vast area of the sky last night there was an aerial war of 300 aeroplanes on a fiercer, more dramatic scale than has ever been known before in peace-time manoeuvres.

Eastland, which is attacking London, mobilised for a supreme effort 100 giant bombers. Westland, which is defending the capital, brought into play all its 150 fighters. At one time just on 100 aeroplanes, bombers and fighters, were aloft, many of them fighting grimly in an aerial battlefield extending for 50 miles south and east of London., ' Twenty-seven- were battling just before 7 o’clock to the east of London, while shortly after 7 p.m., in., the biggest engagement which lias taken place so far over the West End, 37 aeroplanes were grappling high in til' air beneath a layer of fleecy cloud, their evolutions being clearly visible to London’s millions. TWO LINES OF ATTACK. Assembling during the day its aerial armada, the enemy grouped these in two divisions. First, soon aftei o p.m., the swiftest types of raiding craft were sent out seaward. These then came hurtling back ovethe coast precisely at 6 p.m., the “zero” hour, and, after climbing tc nearly 20,000 feet, made for London at tremendous speed. The second line of . attack, held in reserve until a later hour, comprised a large number of giant twin-engin-ed night bombers, each capable o>i carrying a heavy load of missiles, A winged battle, which swept across the sky some 20 miles south of London developed between raiders and defenders. A powerful formation of the enemy .seeing a number of fighters bearing down on them at 150 miles an hour, sought to out-climb their opponents in a running, gradually ascending fight in which the defenders made use of a manoeuvre which aims at breaking up a hostile force and then dealing with it in detail. s

MANY SHOT DOWN. .There seemed no doubt, as reports poured in from her > and there, that ijhough, the defensive fighters were bandied shperbly, barring the path of the enemy in a great semi-circular section of the sky from 10,000 ft upwards, the raiders, by maintaining an accurate formation and by bringing a broadside of machine-guns on 1 the wheeling and; darting fighters, were shooting, imaiijy of t tjhem down;

! ■ But' ’granted that both' sides suffered heavily,' and that a fairly large proportion of the raiders could be reckoned to have been shot down, the fact sopn became evident that many of them were getting through to the heart of London—which meant that in real war the metropolis would have had tons of deadly bombs rained down upon it within tire spaces of a few hours.

One complete squadron of nine powerful 650 h.p. Horsley bombers fought its way through several rings of defending craft and went right over the West End—leaving a theoretical path of ruin behind it—wjthin 35 minutes after “zero” \ hour. An official communiques issued yesterday the Air Ministry says that the machines shot down in the fighting were;

Enemy. Defenders. Monday evening ... 28 15 Monday night 15 2 Tuesday morning ... 22 15' Tuesday evening ... 24 13 Anti-aircraft guns are supposed to have accounted for 15 enemy bombers. SEARCHLIGHT SUCCESS. Last night’s communique stated: On Tuesday evening three out of the eleven raids undertaken were adjudged to have failed, and two were only partly successful. • The nipjhii. phase was conspicuous for the. success of the searchlights 'in picking out and holding bombers, thereby enabling fighters to attack them. A very high proportion of bombers was intercepted in this manner on their way to the targets, and their losses were heavy.

Owing to the very large amount of flying which has already been carried out, Air-Marshal Scarlett has decided to terminate the exercises at 1 a.m. on Friday.