FIGHTERS ACTIVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23708, 15 July 1940, Page 7

FIGHTERS ACTIVE

DEFENCE OF BRITAIN NOTABLE AIR VICTORIES EXTENT OF GERMAN RAIDS LONDON, July 12 Eleven German raiders were shot down by early evening on Friday. Two British fighters are missing. The total of enemy raiders destroyed on Thursday was 23. The first victor}' on Friday was won by six Hurricanes patrolling in the morning off the East Anglian coast. They saved merchant ships' from attack by 10 Heinkels, four of which, shattered by 1 eight-gun Hurricanes, crashed into the sea. The other six were driven off before they could damage the ships. A little later two Dornier 17's tried to attack a convoy. A single Hurricane pilot, from the same section, shot down one and damaged the other. Of three Dornier 17's which attacked shipping further south, one was sent down in flames by a Hurricane. Around mid-day Heinkels were being attacked both in North Scotland and over the south coast of England. Spitfires shot down a Heinkel 111 over Aberdeenshire. Anti-Aircraft Battery's Success Anti-aircraft gunners on the south coast hit another Heinkel. It crashed on land between three and four o'clock in the afternoon. Hurricanes sighted a Heinkel 111 flying north at 7000 ft. As they attacked it jettisoned bombs over the sea. The Heinkel landed in a flat grass field with only one wheel of the under-carriage down.

The last German bomber, a Junkers 88, also a shipping raider, was claimed by Hurricanes off the Hampshire coast later in the afternoon.

Bomber Crashes on Building A British fighter in a dogfight over the north-east of Scotland brought down a German aeroplane, which crashed 011 a building in course of construction. Shop windows were smashed for a distance of a mile. A man aged 80 was among those killed, also a policeman, the father of five children, including two sets of twins, who was killed wliilti cycling to duty. Haiders over Scotland dropped many high-explosive and incendiary bombs. One bomb killed a workman and seriously wounded other. Another bomb injured people in the street. indows over a wide area wore shattered, cutting many civilians. Raid on Scottish Town The Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security announce that an enemy bomber flying at a great height dropped a number of bombs, which fell in various parts of a town 011 the north-east coast of Scotland, 011 Friday afternoon. Damage was caused and several persons were killed or injured. The bomber was intercepted by fighters and shot down on the outskirts of the town. An Air Ministry communique states: "On Friday morning, in an attack on a convoy off the south-east coast, six enemy aircraft were destroyed and others were damaged by our fighters. The bombers destroyed so far to-day include a Heinkel shot down by an Anson aircraft of the Coastal Command." RETURN TO GIBRALTAR (Received July 14, 8.15 p.m.) GIBRALTAR, July 14 Families which had been evacuated to French Morocco have returned to Gibraltar because "circumstances have arisen necessitating their immediate withdrawal from Morocco.