BLOWN UP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23966, 16 May 1941, Page 10

BLOWN UP

ENEMY SUPPLY SHIP RAID ON A CONVOY BOMBS HIT DESTROYER LONDON, May 1.1 Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm made a highly-successful raid on an enemy convoy in the Mediterranean on Monday night, states a Middle East communique issued this morning.

Hits were scored on a merchant ship of 8000 tons and a destroyer. The merchant ship was blown up, and smoke was pouring from the destroyer when she was last seen. Pilots state that the smoke was not from a smokescreen.

RESPITE FROM RAIDS QUIET fJIGHT IN BRITAIN EARLIER DAYLIGHT ACTIVITY LONDON, May IS There are no reports of German air activity over Britain last night. A communique reports that there was some enemy activity over this country yesterday. Bombs were dropped by single aircraft at points on the south coast, in the East Midlands and in eastern England. Little damage was done and the number of casualties is small.

One enemy bomber was destroyed while raiding Britain on Tuesday night. It is now known that another enemy aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft gunfire during daylight on Sunday, making a total of six destroyed that, day.

UNCONQUERABLE SPIRIT PEOPLE OF BOMBED BRITAIN LINER PASSENGERS' TRIBUTES SYDNEY, May 15 A further tribute to the unconquerable spirit of London was paid by passengers who arrived at Sydney on u crowded liner from England. Most of these passengers were Australian and New Zealand women and children, the majority of whom had waited many months to procure berths. All the adult passengers agreed that Hitler might leave London practically in ruins, but ho would never conquer the spirit of the people of England. He was merely intensifying their hatred of his savagery.

Sister M. Currie, formerly of the staff of the Auckland Hospital, who was in charge of a first-aid post in London for several months, said she occasionally went in a splendidlyequipped mobile operating theatre to bombed areas.

"At dawn." she said, "you might see nothing hut stark ruin, but a few hours later the people would be flocking to work in spite of the almost indescribable disorganisation of traffic. They would be cheerful about it, too."

Sister Currie received her training as a nurse in England and joined the nursing staff of the Auckland Hospital in August, 1920. She was district nurse for a period while on the Auckland Hospital Board's staff. Sister Currie returned to England in January, 1936.

SPITFIRE'S CAREER BIG BAG OF NAZIS ROYAL OBSERVER CORPS GIFT (Heed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, May I I The story is told by the Air Ministry of how a Spitfire which was presented to the Fighter Command bv members of the Royal Observer Corps accounted in various engagements for three .Messerschmitt 109's before it was destroyed recently in a fight against heavy odds.

The Spitfire was first flown by the squadron's commanding officer, and when the squadron went into combat with nine Messersehmitts the commanding officer got the first: victim, which he shot down from 20,000 ft.

Two days later the squadron carried out a surprise attack, the Observer Corps' Spitfire leading, and shot down eight Messerschmitts into the sea off Dover. On this occasion, tho commandins: officer shot down his second enemy machine.

Some time later, the same Spitfire was flown by a pilot who had already shot down three Junkers 87's, and one Messerschmitt 109. With its new pilot it became engaged with a large formation of Messerschmitts. The pilot flying the Observer Corps' Spitfire was attacked. and went into a vertical dive for some 20,000 ft. By brilliant handling he pulled his machine out of the dive, and the pursuing Messerschmitt plunged past it into the sea. On that day the Royal Air Force squadron did not lose any machines, but at least five Messerschmitts were destroyed and several were damaged. The Observer Corps' Spitfire made its final action some days ago when the flight was attacked by a superior force of Messerschmitts, and it ended its short, but effective, career in the sea. The pilot was rescued. Another Spitfire given by the Royal Observer Corps has already taken part in offensive patrols over Northern France, and has also been part of the escort for successful bomber operations.

NIGHT INTERCEPTION DEALING WITH RAIDERS (Jlecd. C.Uo p.m.) LONDON, May M Referring to the progress made by night fighters, a British official wireICS's message states, the Minister of Home Security, Mr. Herbert Morrison, in a speech in London, said: "We do not under-rate their task. It seems to us that night interception must be like trying to swat a fly in a large dark room ivt midnight with a small fly swatter and in the knowledge that maybe the fly is not there anyway. "Yet there have been great achievements. f am told chat research and development have gone as far in the last ten months as they would have done in ten years in peace-time. To-day those who know best think that in night interception we are rather more than a shade ahead of the enemy. "There has been good progress in moonlight interception and some progress even on dark nights. Yet we must beware of jumping to conclusions too easily, setting our hopes too high, or counting on their fulfilment- too soon. But the significant thing is the steady and consistent rise in the curve of victories since the dark times of winter."

BOMB IN FLEET STREET (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON. May 15 It can now be revealed that a large time-bomb was dropped, during n recent raid, in Fleet Street a few yards from the offices of'the Australian"Associated Press. The building, with neighbouring buildings, had to be evacuated temporarily.

GIFTS TO BRITAIN (Reed. 5.:?5 p.m.) LONDON, May 11 The Federated Malay States have decided to raise a further loan of £1.168,000 and to present the proceeds to Britain for the prosecution of the war. The Government of the Straits Settlements is raising a new loan of JL2.;J;i6.000 and these proceeds also are to be offered as a gift to Britain,