Two Messerschmitts Fall Victims to R.A.F.

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 124, 27 May 1941, Page 5

Two Messerschmitts Fall Victims to R.A.F.

BATTLES OVER SEA RUGBY, May 25. Aircraft of the Fighter Command thii morning shot down an enemy fighterbomber into the Channel. This afternoon another Messerschmitt-110 was shot down into the sea by British fighters. This makes two Messerschmitt-llO’s destroyed to-day. In describing the destruction of the enemy fighter-bomber over the Channel, the Air Ministry News Service states that two Hurricanes met 11 Messerschmitts a few hundred feet above Calais before breakfast this morning, and a few moments later one Messerschmitt crashed into the sea. The successful Hurricane pilot, a sergeant . aged 19, then went into a cloud and emerged to find himself stalking a cluster of Messerschmitt-109's. He fired at one in a right-hand turn and shot the wing tip off. When last seen the enemy was staggering back into a cloud badly damaged. Two Hurricane pilots on patrol over the south-east coast yesterday afternoon ran into six of the new Messerschmitt109’s —Germany's latest fighter—and, after damaging two of them, sent all six panicking back to France. The Germans came head-on at the , British patrol, but were outmanoeuvred, and a dogfight began at 16,000 feet and went on until the fighters were down to 6000 feet. It ended with two of the crack German fighters in such bad shape that, when last seen, they were flying for home losing height. One was minus its cockpit cover, and, in the words of the Dilot officer responsible, “full of bullet holes from nose to tail." The other left a trail of thick black smoke streaming behind as it went. Earlier, a Free French pilot of the Fighter Command flew down low over a camp in enemy-occupied France and attacked with his guns four huts and a car. Another pilot of the same squadron attacked a trawler acting as an escort to a 3000-ton steamer a mile off the French coast. It was pilots from' the same squadron who shpt down the Messer- , schmitt-110 over Calais before breakfast An official communique states that enemy activity over Britain last night was very slight. A few bombs were dropped before dark near the coast of East Anglia. Some damage was caused, and a small number of people were injured. After dark, bombs were dropped at one place in Western England, where some damage was eaused and there were a small number of casualties. During to-day, a few enemy aircraft, operating singly, have flown over Britain. Up to 7.30 p.m., there had been no reports of any bombs being dropped.