NAZIS SWEPT FROM SKIES

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 278, 24 November 1939, Page 7

NAZIS SWEPT FROM SKIES

16 Raiders Brought Down by Allies on West Front Day of Intense Air Activity United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, Nov. 22, The special correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain on the Western Front says that Allied fighter* swept German raiders from the skies to-day, shooting down seven, while anti-aircraft guns destroyed a total of nine. The French lost two fighters. One pilot escaped by parachute, but the other was killed when his parachute did not open Excellent visibility marked the resumption of to-day’s intense aerial activity. Ths first enemy plane, a Dornier, was shot down at Nancy. The pilot escaped by parachute and was taken prisoner on landing. Later, a French patrol engaged Messcrschmitts at Strasbourg and disabled three of ths German machines. All the pilots parachuted behind the French lines and were taken prisoner. A British Hurricane fighter to the northward brought down a Heinkel bomber after a sharp engagement. The German pilot endeavoured to escape across Belgium, but his machine started to break up and the pilot made a descent by parachute. The plane, which was riddled with bullets, crashed in Belgium. Three bullet-riddled bodies were found in the wreckage. British and French fighters also shot down two more Messerschmitts farther south.

Bomb Raid on Shetlands

LONDON, Nov. 22. It is officially announced that the Royal Air Fore* successfully conducted flights on Monday and Tuesday over Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Bremen. Enemy aircraft unsuccessfully attacked shipping in the Shetland area this morning and were driven off by antiaircraft gunfire. They then attacked and set fire, by means of a bomb, to a Royal Air Force seaplane lying at its moorings. There were no casualties. The Nazi bombers were over the Shetlands for 15 minutes, and bombs were dropped. Anti-aircraft fire drove off the attackers, which swooped low, It is believed that six Nazi planes participated in the raid. t Paris reports that two German planes were brought down in the North Sea. The Berlin radio reports reconnaissance flights over Britain yesterday as far as Scapa Flow. Other planes made reconnaissances of Southern France. There is great aerial activity near the Luxemburg frontier, according to a Brussels message.

A German aeroplane to-day flew over the mouth ot the Thames, passing over a town and a number of villages. Anti-aircraft batteries went into action, driving the plane up to a great height. British chasers went up in pursuit of the German over the Thames Estuary. Villagers at one stage saw the raider flying so low that he appeared to skim the rooftops. The anti-aircraft fire was tremendous as the plane narrowly missed an orchard and rose over the trees with pursuit planes on its tail. Onlookers said it would be a miracle if the raider reached home safely. Reports from different parts of the ( south coast indicated the presence of several enemy planes to-day. An official description of last night’s raid on the east coast says: “British coastal defences fought a machine-gun duel with a German seaplane which dived low and machine-gunned the de- , fenders. There were brisk exchanges lot a few seconds, after which the sea- | plane disappeared in fog and clouds.** j The Air Ministry, referring tj last ] night’s raid on the Humber district* announced that the enemy were ob- I served on the east coast after 7 p.m. flying at various altitudes. Fighter* went up to intercept them. The all-cleaf • signal was given at 8.30 p.m. No bombs

Lie Given to German Broadcasts DETAILS OF BRITISH SUCCESSES (British Official Wireless.) Received Thursday, 9.20 p.m. RUGBY, Nov. 22. The Hamburg wireless news in English on November 21 and the Deutschlandsender on the 22nd claimed that German reconnaissance flights over England continue without opposition and specifically stated that British plane* which took off were unable to intercept The facts are that British fighters recently brought down the following raiders: On the 20th a German Heinkel ill was chased out to sea and next day the crew of this machine was picked up from a rubber boat off Orford Ness. Their names are Lieutenant Wilhelm Meyer, suffering from scalp injury received in the crash; Ober-Seidwebel ■ Gardhardt Ricketseu, suffering from a machiuc-gun wound; Unter-Oflizicr Theodor .Stexrer, slightly hurt in the crash. [ On the 21st a Dornier 17 twin-engined reconnaissance aircraft was engaged by British lighters over Deal and brought down in the sea ten miles off Gris Nez. The wreckage was salvaged but there were no survivors. At almost the same time a Heinkel 111 was brought down off Boulogne by a British lighter stationed in France. Tho Hamburg wireless states that Allied reconnaissance aircraft displayed no great activity on the 20th, but in fact British aircraft flew’ over Bremen and Hamburg that day and over Dusseldorf, Stuttgart and Frankfurt on the 21st. All the British aircraft returned j safely from these. The latter details form the substance of this evening’s Air Ministry announcement.