CLASH OVER NORTH SEA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 12 January 1940, Page 6

CLASH OVER NORTH SEA

AIR BATTLE STORY FURTHER DETAILS AVAILABLE ONE BRITISH PLANE LOST [British Official Wireless] (Received 12th January. 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY. 11th January. Further details are now available of yesterday’s clash over the North eSa between British aircraft and the German Messerschmitt 110 in which one British aircraft was lost and one enemy fighter brought down and another German aircraft made a forced landing in Denmark, the crew being interned. The Messerschmitts concentrated on the outside aircraft of the British formation. “I thought at first there were only two,” said one of the British air gunners. “They attacked in turn, obviously following a prearranged plan. Then we saw the others waiting up above to take their turn and soon things got busy. DOWN TO ALMOST SEA LEVEL “We came down from 5000 feet almost to sea level as soon as we were attacked so that they couldn’t get beneath us. We kept formation. The fighters attacked in a shallow dive, usually from the quarter or beam, opening fire with cannon and machine-guns from a distance of about 600 yards, seldom closing nearer than 200 yards. They seemed anxious to get out of range of our guns and usually turned away when we opened fire. MANY ATTACKS MADE “As they broke away, climbing for another attack, they showed us their bellies and our tracers seemed to be going straight through into them. Certainly some of them must have gone home heavier than when they set out, because some of our chaps fired more than five hundred rounds during the action and they did not all miss.” The engagement was continuous for twenty-five minutes, each fighter making from eight to ten attacks. The only British casualty occurred early in the action when one R.A.F. aircraft — apparently hit in one engine—was forced to drop back and was immediatly pounced on by a fighter which closed within 100 yards while a second fighter waited above to reinforce the attack. A few minutes later a German fighter was forced down. In seeking to break up the British formation it dived between two sections of R.A.F. aircraft and burning to launch a beam attack it was caught by British fire and crashed into the sea at high speed. Soon afterwards another fighter was seen to be in difficulties. This is believed to be the one which later in the day was reported to made a forced landing in Denmark.

ENCOUNTER ON PATROL R.A.F. PLANE’S ATTACK ON TWIN-ENGINED ENEMY PLANE (British Official Wirtfess] (Received 12th January, 11.30 a.m.) • JRUGBY, llth January. While on North Sea patrol on Wednesday a single aircraft of the Royal Air Force Coastal Command sighted a big twin-engined finely streamlined German monoplane, which the British aircraft immediately pursued and overhauled, and when close enotgfe opened fire with the front gun. The German manoeuvred as if trying to escape, but received more punishment as the British pilot pressed home his attack from below. During the second encounter the German bomber’s rear gun was silenced, and her retractable undercarriage which was drawn up in flying position was seen to be dropping down The impact of the bullets apparently smashed the release mechanism. While the front gunner of the British aircraft was reloading, the German dived almost to the surface of the sea, and the British pilot dropped two heavy bombs which exploded behind the enemy’s tail. The German climbed sharply to 400 feet as if to evade a repetition of this kind of attack. As it passed the British aircraft its side guns fired continuously. It appeared that one of the enemy’s guns jammed and the hydraulic mechanism of the turret was so deranged by accurate fire th*t il was impossible to train the only other serviceable gun.

Realising his hopeless position, the German pilot avoided further combat and vanished into the clouds.