FATAL REALISM
GUNS OF SPITFIRE 14 KILLED: 50 WOUNDED LIVE AMMUNITION USED (Reed. 6.40 p.m.) LONDON, April 13 In ail accident during large-scale combined Army and Royal Air Force training operations at Imberdown, Wiltshire, 14 soldiers, including a brigadier and Home Guardsmen were killed and between 40 and 50 officers and other ranks wounded. While a Spitfire was power-diving, a group of soldiers, including several high-ranking officers, was seen to scatter as a fusilade of bullets came from the aeroplane's machine-guns. It is believed the pilot mistook the target or was not aware that he was firing live ammunition. That the aeroplane did fire live ammunition was probably the result of a recent War Office order that live ammunition was to ba used to give battle exercises realism.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19420415.2.84
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24249, 15 April 1942, Page 5
Word Count
128FATAL REALISM New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24249, 15 April 1942, Page 5
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the New Zealand Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence . This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Auckland Libraries and NZME.