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the battle of Britain is on: Hitler throws in more and more bombers RAF SHOOTS DOWN 39 MORE NAZIS AND LOSES ONLY NINE FIGHTERS Portsmouth heavily bombed Hitler intensified his mass air raids on British ports still further yesterday. Even more aircraft than he used in the mass attacks on Thursday and Sunday were sent against Portsmouth and the Kent coast. All day long there were terrific battles over the Channel and along the coast. And last night the Air Ministry announced we has shot down thirty-nine more Germans and had lost nine R.A.F. Fighters. The German official news agency claim seventy-one British planes down, and admit nineteen Germans missing. After dark last night the raiders returned - over the south-east, the south-west, north-east, and Wales. At midnight it was reported that bombs had been dropped in one south-east area. Although fewer German aircraft were shot down yesterday the ratio in favor of the R.A.F. is almost doubled. On Thursday it was nearly three and a half to one; on Sunday it dropped to two and a half to one; and yesterday it was nearly four and a half to one. Here is the battle record since the mass raids began:- German Losses Thursday....................... 61 Friday........................... 1 Saturday....................... 1 Sunday......................... 61 Monday......................... 39 Total.......... 163 British Losses Thursday....................... 18 Friday.......................... 0 Saturday....................... 1 Sunday......................... 26 Monday......................... 9 Total......... 54 Altogether bombers and fighters raided an area of 400 miles yesterday - far more widespread than the day before - extending from the north-east area of England, round the coast and into Wales. They dropped bombs in Portsmouth dockyard area, sank two small boats, ser fire to a store, damaged a jetty. They hit a railway station and fired a brewery. They hit a church in the Isle of Wight, and damaged several R.A.F. airfields on the mainland. The more widespread attack was one reason why fewer raiders were shot down. An R.A.F. fighter pilot said to me last night: "Jerry's bombers split up more yesterday and he was harder to find. On Sunday they concentrated and were better targets." The Germans tried out two new tricks yesterday.
Clouds of thick white smoke poured from the planes. They dropped no bombs, but they laid a fifteen-mile screen for the first bombing raiders who followed five minutes later.
A fighter pilot who took part in yesterdays battles last night described how he saw a Nazi pilot in the water. "He was easy to see," he said, "for all around him was a big patch of green vapor - a special method used by the Germans when they get into the water. It shows their friends - and rescuers - where they are." In one of a series of battles a raider dropped a dozen bombs on a south-east coast town. Although a two-story house was cracked from top to bottom, three cottages, a joinery works, a dance hall and a doctor's garage were wrecked, only one man was killed. In the office adjoining the wrecked joinery works the owner and his son were smothered in dust, but escaped unharmed. When he heard the whistle of the falling bombs the son threw himself on top of his father. And when it was all over the father found he still had his pipe in his mouth. In a village a few miles away a man, his wife and child were buried in the wreckage when their cottage was destroyed by a bomb. After the man had been found and taken to hospital rescue parties went on searching for the woman and child. Hours later they were found, the mother still protecting her child with her own body. The mother died later in hospital, but the child was saved. 100 Planes More than 100 planes were in the air at one time over another town on the south-east coast. Anti-aircraft fire crippled several, and fighters brought down at least five. The pilot of one German bomber dropped by parachute in the Channel and was dead when picked up six miles away. Another bomber was badly hit by anti-aircraft fire and the pilot tried to land his machine lopsided, but a young bombardier rushed out of the hedge with a Lewis gun and peppered the plane. Fighters overhead signaled to the bombardier to get out of the way, but he kept on firing until he finished off the bomber. Three bodies were found in the plane. One of the crew is believed to be a twenty-four year old German Count. A south-east town was raided four times during the day, and people in the streets saw four German planes shot down. One Messerschmitt landed in a field outside the town. A second Messerschmitt and two bombers crashed into the sea. Heavy explosions, believed to have been caused by bombs dropped several miles inland, shook a south-east coast town early yesterday evening. A few minutes later a Messerschmitt fighter dived out of the sun at 400 miles an hour an opened fire on a barrage balloon floating at about 1,000 feet. All the bullets missed, and the raider sped out to sea followed by bursting A. A. shells. Ten minutes passed then twenty-eight Dornier twin-engine bombers flew in formation from the direction of the explosions and headed out to sea. They were escorted by six Messerschmitts which circled over them. As the planes crossed the coast ground defenses sent up a terrific barrage of shellfire. As reported by the Daily Express |
