SHOT INTO SEA

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24243, 8 April 1942, Page 5

SHOT INTO SEA

MESSERSCHMITT CAUGHT NEW ZEALAND PILOT'SjfEAT (Special Correspondent) LONDOX, April 6 Flight-Lieutenant S. Parnell, of Wellington, Royal New Zealand 4ir Force, flying a Spitfire in thick mist off the south coast this morning, sighted two Messerschmitt 109's, 600 to 700 yards ahead. He gave chase, but the Messerschmitts disappeared in the mist. Flight-Lieutenant Parnell spotted the Messerschmitts as they were hurrying for cloud.cover and he was able to get in a burst at one Messerschmitt as it was diving. Flight-Lieutenant Parnell said: "The Messerschmitt flattened out just ahove the water. Its tail then kicked up and the machine smacked down with a large splash. It bounced 10 yards and then went straight down." Flight-Lieutenant _ Parnell circled around for several minutes,'but all that remained of the Messerschmitt was a wing-tip floating in the sea.. .There was no sign of the pilot.

NARROW ESCAPE THE RETURN FROM LUBECK BOMBER ATTACKED BY ENEMY (Special Correspondent) LONDON, April 6 A Stirling bomber piloted by FlightLieutenant A. G. Humphreys, of Christchurch, dived from 15,000 ft. to 100 ft. when a Messerschmitt 110 attacked it over Kiel. The bomber was returning from the heavy raid against Lubeck, where the R.A.F. caused huge fires and damage, of which the Nazis bitterly complained. Flight-Lieutenant Humphreys said: "It was a perfect night, one of the best I've seen over Germany. The bright moonlight was so clear that we saw the whole Baltic coast while crossing the Danish coast. I think everyone hit the target,. It was a sight I will not quickly forget. The whole town was blazing furiously, bombs were exploding and throwing up mushrooms of flames like volcanoes erupting. "While we were on the way home over Kiel Canal, my top_ gunner reported a twin-engined aircraft from the starboard beam. It attacked our tail with cannon shells, one of which exploded against the armour plate behind my head. The Nazi gave five bursts which put our gun turrets out of action, so I had to play games with him and dodge his fire. "We had started at 15,000 feet, but when he made the last attack we were at 150 feet. He must have used up all his ammunition. He did a jaunty dive over our tail, then disappeared. We scraped home all right, unhurt, except for the rear-gunner, who had a bullet fragment in his knee." .

PRISONERS EXCHANGED ITALIANS AND BRITISH ANKARA, April.6 Sixty-six sick and wounded prisoners of war and an unspecified number of protected personnel (doctors and nurses) will be exchanged at Smyrna to-morrow for 250 Italian soldiers'and 500 protected personnel. The exchange will take 24 hours. It is understood that fewer than a dozen Australians are among the prisoners. ADMIRAL'S DEATH LONDON, April 7 The death has occurred of the famous American inventor of naval devices. Admiral B. A, Fiske, aged 87. His naval telescope was adopted by all the navies of the world.