HIT-AND-RUN

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21156, 4 July 1940, Page 8

HIT-AND-RUN

RAIDS ON ENGLAND PLANES SHOT DOWN THRILLING ENCOUNTERS (omclal Wireless) (Received July 4, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY, July 4. In addition to five German bombers destroyed by pilots of the Royal Air Force during enemy daylight raids on Britain on Wednesday morning and afternoon, four more German planes were also damaged. The raids were of the hit-and-run type, and in most the Nazi bombers approached the coast singly. In the morning three Spitfire pilots, after attacking a Dornier “flying pencil” bomber, watched it turn on its back and crash into the sea. They were patrolling along the east coast of England when they sighted two Dorniers about five miles away. They each attacked the nearest enemy bomber. After a few seconds one Dornier caught fire, and soon flames enveloped the whole machine. Following it down the fighter pilots saw it dive into the sea. The Spitfires then attacked the other Dornier, but the bomber disappeared in clouds, badly damaged. About lunch time a fighter pilot fired three bursts from his eight machine guns at a third Dornier 17 12,000 feet up off the north-east coast of England. Clouds again helped the enemy raider to evade further attack. A little later an enemy aircraft, believed to be a Heinkel 111, fell in the sea off the Aberdeenshire coast. It had been attacked by Spitfires and had put up a stiff resistance, but at the end of the fight the bomber glided down on to the surface of the water. The Spitfire pilots saw two rubber boats being launched from it. Early in the afternoon a Junkers bomber was engaged and shot down into the sea off the Scottish coast. Three members of the crew were seen to take to a rubber boat. More Planes Shot Down Shortly afterwards two Spitfires patrolling the south-east coast of England intercepted and shot down another Dornier flying pencil. During the afternoon Hurricane pilots engaged and damaged a German Heinkel 111 bomber over the English Channel. Before the raider disappeared in a cloud the fighter pilots saw their machine-gun bullets hit the Heinkel’s fuselage. After their second attack the bomber T s rear gunner was silenced. Soon after another patrol of Hurricanes attacked a Dornier 215 bomber off the east coast of England. Shortly after 7 p.m. Spitfires raced out to sea to intercept another enemy bomber, and six minutes after taking off they shot it down in flames. !