AIR BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 January 1940, Page 5

AIR BATTLE

OVER THE NORTH SEA BRITISH PILOT’S ACCOUNT. FIGHT AT HEAVY ODDS. Daventry reports that in an account of the battle over the North Sea the pilot of the British plane which eluded the enemy and returned safely said that almost the first warning the formation had of the approach of the German machines was when they saw a stream of tracer bullets. The bombers came out of the sun and did not see the enemy, he said. Six Messerschmitts immediately attacked, their bullets missing his plane narrowly. The rear gunner reported that he had brought down one opponent, and the front gunner claimed that he had hit another.

The first Messerschmitt fell out of control and crashed in flames into the sea. The second was definitely hit and made a spiral dive to the sea. Shortly afterward a third Messerschmitt dropped out of the fight. The British pilot then dived from 10,000 feet to about 20 feet above the sea. He was immediately pursued, but skimmed above the surface of the sea for about an hour and succeeded in. dodging the enemy, who were forced to give up the attack.

A cablegram yesterday reported an Air Ministry announcement that on Tuesday afternoon a formation of three bombers encountered a squadron of 12 Messerschmitt long-range fighters well out at sea. The formation, although heavily outnumbered, gave battle to the enemy. One Messerschmitt was shot down in flames and two others were driven down and are likely to have been lost. One of the three bombers returned safely. A second was shot down during the encounter and the third is missing. It was claimed in Berlin that three of the most modern Wellington bomber models were brought down over Heligoland Bight after a brief encounter with Messerschmitts. There were no German losses.

Daventry reports that the Royal Air Force has carried out a further reconnaissance flight over Germany. One British machine was driven over the Belgian frontier and forced down. German air activity was reported last night over Paris and Eastern France. Anti-aircraft fire was heard. The Paris radio station was off the air for a time. FORCED DOWN BRITISH PLANE LANDS .IN BELGIUM. AFTER FIGHTING NUMBER OF GERMANS. '(British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 10.35 a.m.) RUGBY, January 3. The Air Ministry announced that an aircraft of the Royal Air Force, on icconnaissance over enemy territory today was engaged by a number of enemy fighters in the neighbourhood of the frontier between Belgium and Germany. In the'course of the engagement. the aircraft was driven over the frontier and forced down.