CEASELESS DAY AND NIGHT AIR BATTLE FOR BRITAIN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 190, 14 August 1940, Page 5

CEASELESS DAY AND NIGHT AIR BATTLE FOR BRITAIN

THOUSANDS OF PLANES IN SERIES OF NIGHTMARE DOG FIGHTS

SCOPE AND SEVERITY OF GERMAN BOMBING IS INCREASING STEADILY

LOSSES BY THE ENEMY ARE UNDERESTIMATED BY THE BRITISH

Received August 13,5.5 p.m. LONDON, Aug. 12. The air battle for Britain is now being waged ceaselessly day and night, with thousands of planes involved and hundreds engaged in nightmare dog fights. The scope and severity of the German bombing is increasing beyond anything yet known. In engagements round our coasts to-day the total number of enemy aircraft so far known to have been destroyed is 39. Nine of our fighters are missing. The 8.8. C. went off the air to-night. A number of reports on raid incidents reaching the Associated Press office from a wide area reveal the extent of the operations, but there is not one report of serious damage to shipping or defences. It is now known that 65 German aircraft were destroyed in yesterday s air battles. British communiques conservatively estimate the German losses. Even the German news agency felt obliged to amend, from time to time, its absurdly fractional estimates of German losses, and eventually admitted that 1 9 German planes had not returned. The Daily Mail says experts are of opinion that the air war is not a preliminary to immediate invasion. Germany apparently hopes to attain great propaganda value from the raids. Lhe German wireless keeps broadcasting ceaselessly graphic and fictitious versions of the operations. It is officially stated that five enemy planes were brought down by naval ships on August 1 I and were not included in the official total for the day. Therefore, the day's bag was 65. which is a record.

Received Aug. 13. 6.20 p.m. LONDON. Aug. 13. The latest information regarding Monday’s raids on the British coasts, shipping and aerodromes, is contained in an Air .Ministry bulletin, and discloses that of 39 enemy raiders brought down, 32 were shot down by R.A.F. fighters and seven by anti-aireraft batteries. This represents the most ; successful day for the anti-aircraft defences since raids on the south eoast began. For the first time Lewis gunners of a searchlight company in Britain saw their bullets hit and bring down a German raider. At one time during the day it is estimated that there were some 500 enemy aircraft in action over Portsmouth Channel and the Thames Estuary. The British losses are nine fighters missing. It was revealed that Portsmouth is the south-eastern town that received the biggest raid so far. The Air Ministry stated that in the Portsmouth area anti-aircraft guns brought down three planes, including an enemy bomber, which exploded in mid-air after a direct hit. Taking advantage of the moonlight, enemy raiders, mostly flying at a great height, were again active after nightfall and early this morning, over a wide area. Bombs, including the screaming type, are reported to have been dropped in many parts. A village church and farmhouse were damaged in south-east England. Raids on Bristol Since June 20. the German wireless has claimed that numerous raids on Bristol have inflicted heavy damage to docks, an aircraft factory, oil storage plants and the railway station Yesterday a Press party was permitted exhaustively to examine the scenes of these claims, as a result of which the members of the party were able to say the damage was very light, except in the railway signalbox, on some railway trucks, in school yards and to several houses. The Avonmouth docks were teeming with life. The port officials stated that Bristol at present is handling more tonnage than lhe average. Bristol, last night, had a raid in which 13 bombs were dropped. Some houses were damaged. An Admiralty. Air Ministry, and Ministry ot Home Security communique states that enemy bombing attacks which began over the Kent coast in the morning later extended to the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, where large forces were employed. An attack on a naval dockyard met with little success. Some bombs dropped on the outskirts of the dockyard area, setting fire to a store and causing minor damage to a jetty. Two small armoured service craft were damage! and subsequently sank. In other parts of Portsmouth a railway station was hit and buildings, including a brewery, were set on fire. Casualties were caused. including some deaths, but these were not great, having regard to the large number of bombs dropped. In the Isle of Wight a church and some houses were damaged. A few people were injured. Later reports have also been received of attacks on the coasts of Kent and Sussex. Bombs were dropped at many points and slight damage was caused. Several R.A.F. aerodromes, some houses, and other civil pronerty were also hit. Casualties In this area were very light, al-

though there were several cases of fatal injuries. “The enemy has been heavily engaged at all points by our defences which again inflicted serious losses, .with a few casualties to themselves.” the communique says. R.A.F. WAS READY J»5 GERMAN PLANES DOWN ON SUNDAY. LONDON, Aug. 12. Yesterday’s attacks, in which the Germans lost 65 planes, c it red on three distinct points of attack—on Portland and Weymouth, on Dover, and on a convoy off the East Anglian coast. The first battle, which was over Dover, lasted from 7.30 a.m. till 11 a.m. But at about 10 a.m. much more ambitious attacks developed on Portland. This lasted till noon. The R.A.F. Fighter Command, in co-operation with the other services, was fuly prepared. The British squadrons were well disposed, and when 100 German planes made a surprise attack at a point far from original targets they found two squadrons of Spitfires waiting. An Admiralty communique states that five enemy aircraft were shot down by anti-aircraft fire during an action between naval ships and enemy aircraft yesterday. The first plane was shot down by H.M.S. Windsor. The naval trawler Edwardian shot down the second. Anti-aircraft fire from the ships was so intense and so accurate that it is impossible to state with certainty which vessels shot down the other three, but it is most probable that the trawlers Edwardian and Peter Carey each accounted for at least one. There was no loss of life in the Windsor or the Peter Carey. There were some casualties in the Edwardian. All day the German radio endeavoured to maintain a plane for plane description of the air raids. It admitted that heavy anti-aircraft fire from escorting warships greeted a divebombing attack on a convoy off Margate. It claimed that an R.A.F. station was reduced to ashes during attacks on south coast bases. ' Bombs ploughed up runways and hangars and other buildings collapsed. One German squadron shot down 40 British planes in an air battle over Portsmouth where a naval installation wharf was straddled with bombs. The German news agency wound up an account of the day’s operations with the declaration that German losses were slight because the R.A.F. were avoiding engagements, adding “this is interpreted as the first sign of broken resistance.”