13 MORE DOWN

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21417, 10 May 1941, Page 9

13 MORE DOWN

NIGHT RAIDERS SUCCESS OF FIGHTERS * NAZIS MET COMING IN NEW ZEALANDER’S “BAG” (omcial Wireless) (Received May 10, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, May 9 Royal Air Force fighters gained another series of successes last night, destroying 13 enemy planes. In the eight days of this month 87 raiders have now been accounted for, oniy three fewer than the total brought down during the whole of April. A squadron of fighters patrolling an area of the east coast last night ran into a wave of enemy bombers coming in from the sea. One after : another the night fighters picked out the incoming raiders and closed to attack. In 45 minutes the squadron had sent six crashing down and had damaged others. One squadronleader saw three enemy bombers within a few minutes of each other. The first was in flames and was being chased by another fighter. The second he shot down himself and the third got away after a short exchange of shots. Two In Night Two of the enemy fell to a New Zealand pilot, who has already won the D.F.C. for his night fighting successes. He got his brace last night within ten minutes of each other. The first went down in flames after its rear gunner had tried desperately to drive off the fighter. Then the New Zealander picked up his second raider and, after a few bursts from his guns, the fuselage exploded and the aircraft caught fire and dived into the sea miles from the shore. Another pilot in the same squadron chased a Junkers 88 in the moonlight for 30 miles out to sea, firing at it intermittently all the way. His final burst set it alight and it went down. The leader of another squadron shot down his second Dornier 17 in two nights. Further south a third night fighter squadron accounted for two more raiders, one over the sea and one which crashed on the land.