"HIT AND RUN"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23700, 5 July 1940, Page 8

"HIT AND RUN"

GERMAN RAIDERS FIVE BROUGHT DOWN SIX CIVILIANS KILLED BOMBING OF A TRAIN By Telegraph—Pre** Association—Copyright (Received July 4, 7.10 p.m.) LONDON, July 1 Five German bombers were destroyed and four damaged by fighters during daylight raids on England and Scotland yesterday. Enemy aircraft made a series of hit and run attacks between dawn-and dusk, dropping high explosive and incendiary and delayed - action bombs. The known casualties are six civilians killed and at least 2*2 injured. Three Spitfire pilots were patrolling along the east coast of England when they sighted two Dorniers about five miles away. Each attacked the nearest enemy bomber. After a few seconds one Dornier caught fire and soon flames enveloped the whole machine. Following it down, the fighter pilots saw it dive into the sea. The Spitfires then attacked the other Dornier, but the bomber disappeared into the clouds badly damaged. Escape in Clouds About lunch time a tighter pilot fired three bursts front his eight machineguns at a third Dornier 17, which was 12,000 ft. up off the north-cast const of England. Clouds again helped the enemy raider to evade further attack. A little later an enemy aircraft, believed to have been a Heinkel 111, fell into the sea off the Aberdeenshire coast. It had been attacked by Spitfires and had put up a stilf resistance, but at the end of the fight the bomber glided down on to t\ie surface of the water. The Spitfire pilots saw two rubber boats being launched from it. Early in the afternoon a Junkers 88 bomber was engaged and shot down jnto the sea 'off the Scottish coast. Three members of the crew were seen to take 4q a rubber boat. ; Shortly afterward ♦wo Spitfires patrolling the south-east «oast of England intercepted and shot A)wn another Dornier "flying-pencil." Other Raiders Attached During the afternoon Hurricane pilots engaged and damaged a German Heinkel 111 bomber over the English Channel. Before the raider disappeared into « cloud the fighter pilots saw- their machine-gun bullets hit the Heinkel's fuselage. After their second attack the bomber's rear gunner was silenced.. . Soon after another patrol of Hurricanes attacked a Dornier 215 bomber off the east coast of England. Shortly iafter 7 p.m., Spitfires raced out to sea ito intercept another enemy bomber. Six minutes after taking off they shot it down in flames. It was a day of air battle over Britain. Repeated attacks were made on south-eastern England and anti-aircraft guns of all types along the coast blazed away periodically for several hours as the Germans attempted to cross the coast.

Civilians Machine-gunned Civilians in south-eastern England assert that, a German aeroplane deliberately attempted to machine-gun the population. There were lively exchanges of machine-gun fire between aeroplanes and ground defences. The Germans made a bomb attack on the same area later in the night, and also again visited beaches which they had machine-gunned earlier in the day. One raider flew so low that soldiers opened fired with their rifles. Bomb Cargo Jettisoned A terrific anti-aircraft barrage caught a low-flying aeroplane, wherenpon the raider jettisoned its entire cargo of 12 heavy bombs. An empty house was demolished and bombs fell in back gardens and roads, making huge craters. Enemy aeroplanes dropped bombs at several points over England and Scotland in the afternoon. The bombs dropped by enemy machines which crossed the south' coast in the morning were few in number, and it did not appear that they were directed against any particular objective. Baby and Grandmother Killed A bomb which struck a cottage in one town killed a baby and its grandmother. The baby; which was asleep, was blown from the cottage 30 yards across the street. Another bomb set fire to a store. Shoppers and the staff are believed to have escaped. Three bombs which were dropped on the north-eastern part of England injured several workmen. One enemy raider bombed a train proceeding between two South Coast towns. The driver and guard were injured, but the passengers escaped. The driver, who was hit by a bomb splinter, subsequently died in hospital. Extent of Enemy Losses It is officially stated that nearly 100 enemy aeroplanes have been destroyed over and arouhd the British coasts since the outbreak of war. Many more have been so seriously damaged that it is unlikely that they reached their bases. The Air Ministry to-day issued its 1000 th bulletin, indicating the extenBiveness of Roj'al Air Force activity. The death roll from Monday's raid on the north-east of Scotland lias reached 15, with the subsequent deatli of three of those injured.

AID FROM UNIONS INDUSTRIAL ORGANISATION PROPOSALS IN AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE, July -1 The formation of a union panel to assist the Government in industrial matters concerning the war was considered yesterday by a conference of Federal unions having members in the defence industries. The adoption of the panel plan was strongly urged on the conference. The plan provides for the formation of a major panel and nine subsidiary panels, representing individual industries concerned. The conference was informed that the object of the scheme was to ensure continuity of work, efficient utilisation of manpower, maximum production, prevention of conditions likely to cause disputes, and the prompt settlement of grievances. The discussion was not concluded, but the adoption of the plan is probable to-day.