BRITISH ON TOP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23719, 27 July 1940, Page 12

BRITISH ON TOP

FIERCE AIR BATTLES 23 GERMANS SHOT DOWN ATTACKS ON SHIPPING ACTIVITY OVER CHANNEL IEJy Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (.Received July 2G, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, July 26 The Air Ministry confirmed that !23 German aircraft were brought 'down yesterday. Five of our fighters were lost, but two pilots are known to be safe. A British official wireless message says yesterday's' intense air activity again turned very much in favour of the Royal Air 1' orce. In one case a German fighter dived into the sea without a shot being fired. With, four other Messersclimitts, it was ■chasing a single Spitfire which became separated from its squadron, Iho Spitfire dived 5000 feet in an attempt to avoid its pursuers. One Mcsserschmitt also dived, ' but when the Spitfire straightened out 50 feet-from the sea the Mcsserschmitt was travelling so fast that it was unable to pull out of the ■dive and crashed straight into the sea. On another occasion during the afternoon Hurricane pilots flying nearly four miles high over the Channel engaged three of the new German Messersehmitt 110 Jaguar bombers, shooting one down. Raiders Put to Flight The Air Ministry states that a great battle in which 100 aeroplanes participated followed an unsuccessful German attack on a convoy off the south-east coast of England. The battle provided the longest period of air fighting yet experienced. The German bombers came in three groups, the first of which attacked ships and the other two bombed the land. Then they returned to France.

Another formation of 15 German aeroplanes, apparently fighters, flew in from the Channel at a great height. (Royal Air Force machines roared, into action. A fierce battle resulted in the headlong flight of the raiders. At times during the day the sky seemed filled with aeroplanes for hours. Anti-aircraft batteries and coastal guns were in action almost incessantly. Many bombs, several falling inland, were dropped from the raiders, which were driven away from shipping objectives. •' Convoy Sails On

Scores of bombs were dropped on one convoy consisting of 20 small freighters. Scores of British fighters flashed across the sky and were instantly engaged by German fighters, while dive bombers circled low to attack the convoy. They hurtled down close to each other's tails, their engines screaming. There were three squadrons, comprising 27 bombers, in the first wave, and an6ther formation of similar strength power dived immediately afterward. Shells burst all around them. The raiders climbed back steeply and repeated the attack. British fighters closed in as the Germans sought the cover of clouds. Two German bombers pitched in flames into the sea. Separate battles between British and German fighters raged and the British ' pilots finally gained the upper hand and routed the enemy. The convoy sailed on, but an hour later was attacked for a third time. This attack was swiftly broken up by anti-aircraft batteries and fighters. German Claims A Norwegian motor torpedo boat also shot down a German dive bomber, and another German bomber crashed in a fifeld near 4 a south-west village after a combat with a fighter. The crew escaped bv parachute and were captured.

The German radio announced: "Our attacks on Channel shipping yesterday resulted in the sinking of 11 ships, totalling 43,000 tons, from a convoy of 23 ships. Three more, totalling 12,000 tons, were set on fire or damaged and are likely to he a total loss. One de-stroj-er was set on fire and one was seriously damaged." ' There was slight enemy activity over south-east and south-west England and over - Wales during the night. Bombs fell near a town in East Anglia, but no damage or casualties are reported.

[TERRIFIED GERMANS

PARACHUTE LANDINGS ■ AFRAID OF BEING SHOT, HOUSEMAID CAPTURES ONE f (Received July 20, 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, July 26 A housemaid captured one of four German - airmen who baled out over south-west England. She left a raid shelter to turn off a gas iron which had been forgotten. t An- 18-year-old German landed almost beside her. He was badly shaken. She took him into the kitchen and gave him whisky. The home guard soon arrived, having watched the airmen jump out. They also arrested two others. The parachute of a fourth German failed to open. The home guard said all the Germans were very shaky and terrified of being shot at sight. COURAGEOUS WOMAN / 1 ARREST OF PARACHUTIST SHOT DOWN IN AIR RAID LONDON, July 20 Mrs. N. Cardwell, who has been awarded the Empire Gallantry Modal for arresting a German airman who had alighted by parachute after his bomber had been shot down in a raid over J2ngland, to-day related tho details of the incident. Mrs. Carchvell lives on a farm on the north-eastern coast. Her husband, a member of the Local Volunteer Defence organisation, was away when the airman landed. / "A farm hand came and told me that parachutists were coming down," said Mrs, Cardwell. "The telephone was out of order, so I sent a boy to the police on a bicycle. "Then I went into the garden and saw an airman limping across a paddock toward the house. There were two pr three people about who did nothing, t>o I walked up to the man and told him to put up his hands. He did not understand, so I made signs, whereupon he.put up iiis hands. "He handed over his pistol, and I pointed it at him while he walked down the* road in front of me. We waited half;.an hour until the polico and soldiers arrived."