FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1940
1940 - 2154.PDF
84 AUGUST I, 1940 WAR IN THE AIR (CONTINUED) up into the sun and saw the enemy rising in tiers as far as the eye could see. Eighty of them. The situation looked pretty grim. The best that we could hope for was to upset them a bit. We did. I ordered my formation into line astern. The enem)' bombers were just about to dive on to the convoy. I decided to attack from inside the circle of bombers—they were circling all the time—and flew to a point where I judged they would begin their dive. As the Dorniers attacked I singled out one and gave him a short burst. I had to pull away immediately because I was in close line abreast with the following Dornier. I came in again to attack another Dornier, and had just opened fire when tracers started whistling past me. I took immediate evasive action. Then my starboard aileron got a terrific crack. It partially jamnied, making my Hurricane diffi- cult to control. There was nothing for me to do but beat it home. I don't know what happened to the two Dormers I attacked. There were too many Huns about to wait and see. They were diving one after another on to the convoy. The ships were blazing away at them. It was a show, all right." " Immediately I saw the Messerschmitt fighters," said the pilot who was leading the other three Hurricanes, "I warned the Squadron Leader who was flying below me. As my formation flew to engage them I saw five enemy fighters trying to form a defensive circle. I closed in and had a crack at the nearest one, giving him a short burst. He staggered, and I saw his port aileron come off. He went into a spin and I broke away. A few seconds later I saw him crash into the sea. I came in again to engage another Messerschmitt, giving him three bursts. Frag- ments came away from his wings and fuselage. He started to slip to port. Then he turned over on his back and I saw him going down, but I couldn't watch him, because out of the corner of my eye I saw two more Messerschmitts diving on my tail. I gave them the slip, and dived to engage a Dornier which was trying to get into a defensive circle of ten other Dorniers. As I came in to attack my windscreen suddenly went black with oil. I broke away. I could not see a thing. The Dornier was firing at me. One bullet hit my port head lamp. With oil streaming over my windscreen I was no more use in the fight, so I returned to base." Raids on Malta continue, but the place still carries on its activities. On Sunday, July 28, the Gladiators there shot down four Italian bombers. About 100 raids have now taken place, and the Italians have lost 21 machines, while we have only lost one. The Vice-Admiral, Malta, has received a telegram from the Admiralty expressing their admiration of the stout-hearted way in which His Majesty's ships and dockyard face the continued enemy air attacks. The telegram adds: "The gallant endurance of the Maltese personnel and the Maltese citizens generally ever since the outbreak of hostilities commands universal respect. The good work done by the volunteer dockyard battery must be as great a source of gratification to you as Vice-Admiral, Malta, as of pride to the officers and men forming the gun crews." The Germans claimed to have sunk 11 ships totalling 43,000 tons in an air attack on a convoy in the English Channel on July 25. The facts are that 21 small coastal vessels were being escorted by H.M. trawlers when they were attacked by numerous German aircraft. Five small ships, totalling 5,104 tons, were sunk, and five others, of about the same size, were damaged. One, of 554 tons, had to be beached. Still, this was in a way the most notable success which the Luftwaffe has yet scored agairiii a British convoy. : A German auxiliary ship with a naval ascort was located in the North Sea one night, and early next morning T.S.R. Swordfish went out to attack. One of the German naval ships, an escort vessel of the Konigin Luise class, was hit by a torpedo. All our aircraft returned. Thursday, July 25, was the best day to date for oar fighters and A.A. guns, for in the course of the day they shot down no fewer than 28 Germans over Great Britain or off our coasts. At least nine of the victims were German fighters. The next best day to date was July 20, when we destroyed 23. The total of enemy aircraft destroyed in raids on this country since September 3 is now 288. :J ALL TOGETHER : A battery of British 3.7 in. A.A. guns in action at night.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
