R.A.F. OFFENSIVE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 209, 2 August 1940, Page 7

R.A.F. OFFENSIVE

INCESSANT ATTACKS.

OPPOSITION SILENCED. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Britisii Official Wireless.) Received August 2, 11.19 a.in. RUGBY, Aug. 1.

An Air Ministry communique states that R.A.F. bombers yesterday carried out daylight attacks on military objectives in Germany and shipping off: the Dutch and German coasts. In the course of these raids our bombers were engaged by enemy fighters, two of which were shot down. One of our bombers is missing.

Oil refineries at Misburg (near Hanover) and Emmerich (near the Dutch-German frontiers) were attacked by our bombers last night. " Other aircraft bombed supply, depots •at Osnabruck, shipping in the Zuider Zee, and enemy aerodromes in Holland and Germany. Two of our aircraft were lost.

A Sunderland flying-boat of the Royal Australian Air Force three times repelled enemy air attacks on a convoy it was escorting yesterday. An aircraft of the Coastal Command engaged on a reconnaissance over Norway failed to return. There were several encounters between medium bombers and enemy aircraft during yesterday’s daylight raids on German aerodromes and shipping off the Dutch and German coasts.

In a fight lasting over half an hour a British bomber successfully repelled an attack by two enemy fighters—a Messerschmitt 109 and a Heinkel 112. The engagement began five miles north of Amsterdam with the enemy attacking in line astern. The bomber dived 6000 feet to sea level. The Messerschmitt followed and just as it was breaking away from a stern at>tack the bomber’s rear gunner eanght it with an accurate burst and it crashed into the sea. The Heinkel then took up the attack, repeatedly using its cannon and machine-guns in an unsuccessful effort to equal the score. The Heinkel, after 35 minutes, gave up the pursuit. NAZI SEAPLANE’S END.

Another bomber, after making a lowlevel attack on a barge near Tholen, at the mouth of the Scheldt, encountered two seaplanes believed to be Heinkel 114’s, while looking for another target. The pilot, singling out one of his adversaries, attacked from the beam at 1000 ft. The seaplane turned away, but was caught immediately by another stream of bullets which entered the cockpit. Leaving a trail of smoke in its wake, the enemy aircraft plunged into the sea. Its companion, observing the result of the engagement, flew off. The bomber, resuming its interrupted quest for further targets, found and bomoeti another barge. A third bomber was attacked at 2000 ft. over Schipol aerodrome (Amsterdam) by five Messerschmitt 109’s. The bomber repeatedly went into a cloud to evade the pursuers, and at one stage changed its course in the clouds, but found waiting to engage it one Messerschmitt 109, which sheered off after encountering a burst from the bomber’s machine-gun. BAD VISIBILITY. Over The Hague a further force of enemy fighters was met, but they soon broke off the engagement. Because of the low cloud and bad visibility several British raiders failed to locate their targets and brought back their bombs.

The targets on which attacks were made included two large supply ships, five small oil tanks, and the Paderborn aerodrome where, flying through a dense barrage put up by every type of anti-aircraft gun, an aircraft is reported to have hit the hangars with bombs.

The same weather which hampered the daylight raids persisted at night, and as a result only a few night bombers succeeded in reaching their objectives. Three aircraft located an oil refinery near Hanover, where the only definite result discerned through a gap in the clouds was three bursts across the target. At Emmerich one aircraft reported that a huge explosion followed shortly after the dropping of bombs on' an oil refinery. GERMAN CLAIMS. A Berlin communique states that the weather hindered air activity yesterday. “We bombed armed merchantmen in the Channel and west of the Scillies. Night attacks were directed against shipping and port equipment in the South, of England, also against searchlight positions. These caused explosions and fires. Messerschmitts, without loss, engaged Spitfires near Dover. We shot down three more planes during British raids over Norway, Denmark, and Holland. Enemy planes bombed Northern and Western Germany last night and caused slight damage. A plane dropped a number of bombs in the centre of Hanover far from military objectives, several houses being damaged and several persons being killed and injured. The enemy altogether lost eight planes yesterday.”