SIGNAL BRITISH VICTORY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 216, 10 August 1940, Page 7

SIGNAL BRITISH VICTORY

SIXTY NAZI PLANES SHOT DOWN GREATEST ATTACK OF WAR Press Association—By. Electric Telegraph— Copyright.) Received August 10, 9.40 a.m. LONDON, Aug. 9. The Air Ministry states that the full reports of yesterday’s action over the English Channel show that sixty enemy planes were shot clown and many others were damaged. As previously announced, sixteen of our machines are missing. Three pilots are now known to be safe, two of them being wounded. The attacks constituted the greatest and most determined made against Britain since the outbreak of the war. More than 300 dive-bombers and fighters carried out the attacks over . period of nine hours. They appeared in groups of about oO planes, culminating in a final raid by 150 machines between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. It is estimated that the Germans dropped . 2000 bombs, but the convoy continued to steam on. One squadron of the R.A.E. including New Zealanders and Australians shot down 21 planes. Germany lost more than 100 skilled personnel and planes worth more than £500,000, the wreckage of which was strewn over the waters of the Channel. This is Britain’s reply to Germany’s attempt to blockade Britain by air.

FRENCH BASES USED. The Air Ministry News Service states that about 400 German ’planes were sighted over the Channel during yesterday’s actions, which took place in three parts with intervals of more than an hour. It is therefore, probable that many of the enemy machines went into action repeatedly after refuelling and rearming in France. The seven additional losses consisted of five Junkers and two MesserNAZI OMISSION.

The British Official Wireless states that the following authoritative comment was made in London on to-day’s German communique: “The German High Command communique, while multiplying by three the actual number of British fighters lost in yesterday’s air battles, avoids mentioning that the German air force lost sixty machines —probably about one-seventh of the German machines engaged. “The typically hasty estimates of the shipping sunk or damaged in the attacks on tne convoy will prove, when the full facts become available, to be equally lar from the trnth. It is already known that the convoy contained no tanker, nor, indeed, any ship approaching the tonnage figures for sinj gle ships given in the German claims. HORNIER CHASED. One Hornier whose bombs were finished in the air battle tried to reach homo with a guard of eight Messerschmitts. British fighters went in pursuit and drove straight through the protecting fighters. The Messer sen mitts broke formation and fell away in all directions. The British ignored them and carried on. The Messerschmitts d|d not follow. The Dornier frantically sought cover in a cloud, but the lighters went in after it. There followed a crash of machine-gun fire and the Hornier fell to the sea in a pall of smoke. Tho British fighters returned stunting to show their good spirits. One German plane during the afternoon battle made a forced landing in a field and soldiers took prisoner a 17-year-old member of the crew who was wounded in the leg and lifted his comrade from the wrecked machine. Ihe latter died in their arms. . While this payt of the battle was going on, the Spitfire squadron weie carrying the fight over to the French coast. They chased seven Messerschmitt 109’s over the Channel and destroyed six of them. Then as a finishing touch one fired at a German motor-torpedo boat off Calais. »~' ev " eral of the crew fell overboard. SCENE FROM COAST. People on the South-West Coast of Britain saw a good deal ot to-day o terrific encounters. “Bombs have been dropping almost continuously since dawn,” said a Channel coask resident, “but thanks to the British fighters all have fallen into the sea. So have a. number of German planes. The whole countryside is littered with spent b, Therc was a lull in. the afternoon j but toward tea time the third laid started. A GALLANT ACT. A British pilot gave his life to prevent his machine crashing on a town. His plane was set on ;fire and came down low oyer thickly-populated streets. The pilot swerved toward the sea, and his efforts were succen ul but only just, for his plane hit the sea oO -yards from the waters edge. the petrol tanks exploded at once Motoi launches went immediately to the spot, but could find no tra~» of the airman. GERMAN VERSION. The German version of tho Channel battle as given in a communique, says: ’“A German air attack on a convoy sank 12 ships totalling oo 000 tons and damaged seven. During the ensu inn combats five British lighten, were shot down and one of ours missing. A further 29 fighters were shot down in later combats and two of our planes ■were lost Motor torpedo-boats attack cd'a stronglv protected convoy and sank an 8000-ton tanker and two eteamers of 4000 to 5000 tons each and eet lire to a smaller tanker.