DAY OPERATIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 7 August 1941, Page 6

DAY OPERATIONS

NUMBER OF FIGHTER OFFENSIVES ENEMY TANKER SET <»’ FIRE CHERBOURG AERODROME SHOT I I* jdicc., 1.30 p.m.» Kujiby, An;; 6 Details of 1t.A.1 . daylight operations yesterday are given in an Air Ministry communique which states: "During the day our lighters ear ried out a number cf offensive patrols and in the course of these two enemy tankers in the Channel were attacked with cannon and machine-gun lire and one set on lire. Attacks were also made on enemy aircraft on the ground at the aerodrome at Cherbourg as well as on anti-aircraft gun positions Enemy lighters were encountered and four of them destroyed. One of our fighters is missing.’’ ; The Fighter .squadron which carried !ou. the attack on enemy aircraft at' Cherbourg aerodrome was the* same 'squadron which shot up the German 'bombers and fighters at the same aerodrome on Tuesday. The first. H.A.K (pilot over saw the burnt out shell of a iJ u 17 which he had fired at o. Tuesday, land several other bombers also wrecked. Ten or twelve Me l«9’s lined up on ' the boundary of the aerodrome were ! machine-gunned and shot at with can Many were hit. A Squadron-Leader ; then fired a burst into one of the JU I 87’s wrecked on Tuesday's raid, in ! order as he afterwards said, to make ; assurance doubly sure. As he left the i aerodrome he looked back and saw a I column of smoke rising from it. ! Another fighter of the squadron ar rived as a gunpost was firing at the 'same Squadron-Leader. He silenced ! it and then saw one of the undamaged ME 109’s taking off. He gave it a burst and it went up in flames. On the way back the squadron attacked two oil tankers with cannon and machine-gun fire and left one with smoke rising from it. Later a further attack was made on the tanker and two escorting ME 109\s were destroyed. Other attacks during the day by Fighter Command pilots included hit - ting a E-boat and machine-gunning a coastal radio station. —8.0. W.