RAIDER BROUGHT DOWN

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21576, 12 February 1940, Page 7

RAIDER BROUGHT DOWN

Success Of British

Fighters

Further Attack On Shipping British Official Wireless RUGBY. February 9. One German raider as brought down and two others are believed to have been seriously damaged when they tried to attack shipping off the north-eas coast this morning.

They were engaged by Koyal Air Force Fighter Command patrols and naval anti-aircraft tire, and one of them crashed near North Berwick, north of the Firth of Forth.

Shortly before the crash fighter pilots on patrol in Spitfires far out at sea sighted another Heinkel, which was climbing steeply toward the clouds. One of the fighter pilots flew into the clouds on the tail of the enemy. As soon as they emerged into a clear patch the German gunner opened fire. “I saw red flashes from the rear top gun,” said the Spitfire pilot, who was not hit. He fired a burst with his own eight guns before the Heinkel again disappeared into thick clouds. After making sure that the enemy was not flying above the clouds he dropped below and continued the patrol.

Almost at the same time, shortly after noon, two Heinkels were attacked by a patrol of Hurricanes off the north-east coast.

When these machines were sighted one was flying north and the other west. Before they reached the clouds the fighter piolt, turning from one io the other, managed to fire bursts cf bullets into both.

The German aeroplane winch crashed at Berwick missed the telegraph wires and struck a fence.

Large crowds on the seashore saw two Nazi aeroplanes bomb a vessel off the Scottish coast. Another aeroplane bombed and machine-gunned vessels on the English coast. So far it is believed that no damage was done. Fighters chased off the enemy. The enemy bombed and machinegunned cargo vessels, including a dredger and a 30ft fishing boat. The fishing boat was not hit. but two of the dredger’s effcw lost their lives when a lifeboat was swamped. The Admiralty announces the following casualties from HALS. Sphinx, which was damaged by enemy air attacks on February 3 and capsized while being towed to port on February 5. One officer was killed and four are missing and believed dead, three ratings were killed, one died of injuries and forty-five are missinj and presumed dead.

The Secretary to the Admiralty regrets to announce that “as a result of enemy aircraft attacks on trawlers, the Robert Bowen and Fort Royal were sunk with the loss of four officers and 18 ratings.”

A later tally of the shipping raids on February 9 reveals that one German plane was shot down and two so seriously damaged that they were unlikely to reach home. Two naval trainers were lost and the unarmed merchantmen Cliftonia, Boston trader Mudhopper. Foremost and several trawlers were damaged. All reached port.. The Germans used aerial torpedoes in addition to bombs and machine-guns. Trawlers arriving in port brought stories typical of the courage with which the men manning Britain's little ships face repeated attacks from planes diving from the shelter of low clouds.

The German news agency claimed that air patrols attacked six ships, either British or sailing under British

convoy, which either sunk or were so seriously damaged that they could bo reckoned totally lost. Only one German plane is missing in spite of heavy anti-aircraft fire and chaser planes. The steamer Gripfast, which ran aground after the Nazis bombing attack last week, has been refloated and towed to port. A message from Berlin states that the High Command stated that British planes yesterday tried to penetrate the Heligoland Bight area but were repulsed.