Spitfire Nearly Collided With Parachutist

Northern Advocate, 14 July 1941, Page 6

Spitfire Nearly Collided With Parachutist

(Rec. 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, July 13. How a Spitfire pilot narrowly averted collision with a parachuting German whose Messerschmitt he had shot down over northern France, is told in an Air Ministry bulletin. Describing the incident, the pilot said: “The fight began at a great height when I approached the Messerschmitt and followed it down as it dived away from my attack. We were diving almost vertically, reaching a speed of almost 450 m.p.h., and after three miles’ descent I began to overhaul him. Ice on Windscreen “By this time ice was forming on my windscreen, but I kept the Messerschmitt in sight, and, when close enough, gave him a few bursts from my cannon. “Pieces of the Messerschmitt began to fly off as the downward rush continued. One large piece whizzed past my cockpit and struck my tail plane. We got within 2000 feet of the ground when the German pushed his hood back and bailed out. “I was only 50 yards behind him — or about a quarter" of a second away —at nearly eight miles a minute. I acted immediately, but the Spitfire scarcely began to answer the controls in that split second, when I was on the German. By Hair’s Breadth “My wing tip missed him by less than a yard. The abandoned aircraft went on diving and shedding its wings before it crashed to the ground. I did not see the pilot again.” By this victory the Spitfire pilot scored the hat trick. It was his third victim in three successive operations, and his 14th victim in all. A wing commander of another fighter unit, who shot down a Messerschmitt and damaged several others, described the British fighters’ work over France today as “one of the best parties ever.” Attacked Head On He continued: “We were over the target when we saw 18 Messerschmitt 109 Fs. Flying to one side of the Messerschmi'tt in line astern, I detailed two other Spitfires to follow me around to attack them head on. “They quickly broke up into pairs, but I managed to get in quick bursts at three of them. Soon there was a party for everybody. “One Messerschmitt that I hit went down in a vertical dive with black and white- smoke pouring behind. I attacked another, which also began to go straight down, and I jumped on him and chased him down vertically, firing with my rnaehine-guns most of the time. He burst into flames.

“This party happened over a wood, which from the sky looks like a big map of England, and it gave us a kick seeing the Huns go scrambling down.”

Ships Used Wrong Tactics

The unsuccessful tactics employed by German ships when attacked by a single Royal Air Force bomber were described in an Air Ministry account of how a German minesweeper of 120 tons was swept by fire from end to end after being bombed off Ushant yesterday. The ship was the largest of three sighted by a Hudson plane of the Coastal Command, which closed to investigate. As soon as the aircraft came within range the ship opened fire, followed by the other two. The ships had arranged themselves on three sides of a square, leaving the fourth side open for. the aircraft’s course, and they concentrated their fire on this passage. In order to attack, the Hudson had to weave its way almost at sea level through an intensive barrage. It was only 50 yards from the 'argest ship when the pilot let go a saivo of heavy bombs with a slight delay action on them to allow him to get clear before they exploded. Every Bomb HU

Every bomb hit, and as the Hudson pulled away the crew saw the ship become a mass of flames. She ceased fire immediately, listed heavily to port and appeared likely to sink at any moment.

Then the Hudson had to look to its own safety. The aircraft was hit many times, and came out of the attack with the port engine on fire. The flames died down, but the other engine cut out after the pilot pulled the aircraft up to 1000 feet. The crew found that no fuel was reaching the engine, and it picked up again after petrol was pumped from the tank by hand. They also managed to get the port engine going and made a safe landing.