R.A.F. FIGHTER SWEEPS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 115, 19 May 1942, Page 5

R.A.F. FIGHTER SWEEPS

OVER NORTHERN FRANCE MANY COMBATS STAGED Rugby, May 17. ’ During this morning British fighters 1 made a. sweep over northern France 1 and destroyed two enemy lighters. J Later in the morning Bostons, strongly 1 escorted by lighters, bombed the docks 1 at Boulogne. Many combats occurred, ( and five more German fighters were shot down. £ This afternoon there have been two ( further sweeps over northern France, f in one of which two more German i aircraft were destroyed by fighters. I Eight British lighters are missing i £rom these operations. i Two Spitfire pilots on convoy patrol ( yesterday afternoon destroyed, a Dor- i nier 217 which was preparing to at- t tack a convoy off the east coast. The j Dornier had thick smoke pouring from ] it as it crashed into the sea. ( This morning a few enemy aircraft j dropped bombs at two places in the ( south-east coast of England. There were some casualties, including a small number of persons killed, and some damage was done.—B.O.W. Rugby, May 16. An Air Ministry emmunique states: "Our fighters carried out offensive , patrols over northern France and Belgium to-day, in the course of which a number of targets was attacked. A sweep was also carried out in the < Dieppe area. None of our aircraft is missing.” Skimming low over the waves and : nipping in across the French coast, j Spitfires of the Fighter Cocmand har- i assed German defences in occupied < territory. • In the Dieppe area, though German lighters came up, they declined battle. “Not having the height to give them ] ' an advantage, ’ one pilot side, “they ( refused to play.” _ < Two pilots on earlier operations left t > a gas-holder at Ostend with smoke j and flames pouring from it. 1 Two pilots of another squadron en- - tered France further north and saw a i passenger train, but as they may have ] • been French people in the train as ] ' well as Germans they only attacked i ; the engine. They went on to set a ( railway shed on fire. j Two othe’rs also had good shooting 1 on the railway near St. Valery, blowing the roof oft a signal box with can- . non shells and then shooting the roof . off a shed containing a locomotive.— 8.0.W. « u ■ (