Fierce Aerial Battle

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 297, 16 December 1939, Page 7

Fierce Aerial Battle

Engagements During Patrols Over North Sea FOUR ENEMY PLANES SHOT DOWN (British Official Wireless.) Received Friday, 7.5 p.m. RUGBY, Dec. 14. The Air Ministry announces that throughout the last 24 hours considerable Royal Air Force forces have been operating over the North Sea. These operations included a wide search for enemy surface craft and submarines and close reconnaissance of estuaries and fortified islands in north-west Germany. One formation engaged a strong enemy fighter force in tho Heligoland Bight. In the ensuing encounter intense fighting developed in the course of which four Messcrschmitt fighters and three of our aircraft were sent down. All our other formations returned without loss. Further details of two recent engagements between coastal command aircraft and two Dorniers over the North Sea show that the second combat was almost an exact repetition of the first. On each occasion British aircraft fired almost the same number of rounds oi ammunition and did almost the same damage to the enemy. Both combats took place at the same height and in both cases a cloud bank provided the enemy with a ready means of escape. The first engagement of British aircraft took place far out from their baso near Scandinavian waters and they were flying low on account of the heavy cloud at 1200 feet. The enemy was a big twin-engined Dornier flying-boat. The Royal Air Force aircraft attacked and for 2S minutes fought the enemy in a narrow space between tho sea and the cloud. The crew of the heavily-armed Dornier blazed away with all their guns as the pilot sought to outmanoeuvre tho pursuit planes but the British pilots were too quick for the enemy gunners. Keeping well out of tho field of fire, they positioned the aircraft for their own gunners to get to work. Finally, with both rear gunners hit, Diesel oil tanks punctured and with fuel literally streaming from the nacelles and sponsons, the enemy gave up the fight and struggled into the obscurity of the cloud. Tho British aircraft then proceeded on patrol. An hour later, over 100 miles away, the same British crews encountered another enemy Dornier and again attacked. This time the fight lasted only ten minutes before the enemy aircraft—with the rear gunner hit and black oil smoke pouring from it—sought refuge in low cloudbanks. Oil and smoko loft a trail fully a mile long. It would be surprising if either of the crippled Gorman aircraft were capable of reaching their base.