THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 4, 1941.
DARING EXPLOITS OF R.A.F. PILOTS OVER REICH
SERIOUS
R.A.F. ATTACKS on industrial objectives POSITION
in north-west Germany and on Berlin on
Monday night were pressed home despite ADMITTED
there
very bad weather conditions. Though there were heavy clouds and much ground haze in the Dusseldorf area
were enough breaks in the weather for the crews of air- craft of the Bomber Command to aim a heavy load of incendiaries and high explosives at industrial parts of the town.
Bad weather, states the Air Ministry news service, stretched over much of the Continent and some bombers had to fly through heavy rain storms and through clouds charged with electricity.
There was ice as well, and rain fell from higher clouds on to the aircraft and froze very quickly in smooth layers.
Land targets attacked melud "We climbed," one pilet sud, “tuj
fartory at Fredrichskoug 14.000 feet but still we could but ed a
get above this front of bad weg- and an industrial bukling south-
ther.
west of Rinsburg
We had been In it about 40 less
mallutes when suddenly the
gunes did on us.
+/-
I turned to an angle of about 90 degrees because I thought the wen- ther would be clearer
that way.
We lost 4.000 feet and then the en- gines gradually picked up.
He and other pilots came back with report of "St. Elmo's fire." a "brushing" discharge of electric- ity which is sometimes seen on the masts and yards of ships at sea in stormy weather and sometimes also in mountains. "It was bour- ing with Jam," the pilot said. "and we were getting iced up. On top of all came the St. Elmo's.
British Wire-
SPITFIRE
HAS A
FIELD DAY
Sir Frederick Stewart, Australian Minister for External Affairs, yester- day stated:
There is no desire to cov r up our military position in the Mid- dle East which is very serious.
"The men who have been light- ing in Greece and Crete have losses (11 inflicted considerable
the enemy. tied up their forces and disorganised picked sections of the German Army."
Lord Gowrie, V.C., Governor- General of Austrabu, has sent a message to General Freyberg. V.C., expressing his admiration of the courage of the Imperial troops.
Reuter.
CONVOY
ATTACKER DECORATED
AN OFFICER OF THE RAF. WHO VOLUNTZER RESERVE LED A FORMATION OF AIR- A CRAFT WHICH ATTACKED CONVOY OF SHIPPING NEAR BOULOGNE WINS THE D.F.C. IN THE LATEST LIST RAP AWARDS.
OF
to
and
The list includes one bar
DFC seven the
two D.F.M.S.
D.F.C.'S
This officer, in spite of intense Are from a convoy, obtained two
sunk
was
Fighter Command direct hits on the largest vessel
later learnt Like White-Hot Wire pilots again ranged over which it was
A bar to the D.F.C. is award- mad occupied France yester-
J E. McFall, who, during the enemy adance bluish-white circles of fight round day, says the Air Ministryed Flight-Lieut.
1941. in in Litva in May. service,
"per- the air screws and sparks fashed news
formed solendid work in
The electrical discharge
guns
buth in
between the front and in the rear turret
thei
and
lightning dives shot up
It is a low on the win what targets they could vital information 1 Vari-
tips which made me think we had got our navigation Dghts on by mistake.
find.
a
outs Commanders." British Wire- less.
One Spitfire pilot har the satis The aerial was trailing below faction of seeing two Gern an staff | the aircraft and the rear gunner officers hurt themselves into said that it looked like a white-ditch to avoid the stream of bul He had at- lets from his guns, hot wire. We wound it in.
on We were in the storm about half tacked their camouflaged ear
main road and fired more than t:1 a an hour but we got through
1,000 rounds at it. Dusseldort."
Over Berlin the weather
A column of troops In WASI clearer and a small force of air- marching order made craft bombed objectives in the for another pilot of the centre of the city.
full
WINANT SEES THE PRESIDENT
target PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AN HOUR same CONFERRED FOR
JOHN squadron. Coming down to 300 YESTERDAY WITH MR.
STATES UNITED into WINANT. Bombs from one aireraft alone rent he sent 1200 rounds
BRITAIN. ranks and AMBASSADOR TO started five large fires and other, the closely packed
Mr. Winant, it was noted, was brief-case crews reported a whole circle of saw men falling down.
a bulging Several British pilots report carrying
the White fires.
he entered seeing friendly waves from French when
House. civilians.
trawler probably He remained for luncheon, destroyed" is the latest add which Mr. Harry Hopkins, who tion to the score of an R.A.F. is charged with carrying out the aid for Britain programme, was Fighter Command pilot.
also present.--Reuter.
Kiel Raids
"One
Giving further details the
on R.A.F. weds on Kiel and else- where the Air Ministry news service states that aircraft of the Bomber Command covered the He saw an armed trawler close whole length of the Kiel Canal to the French coast and diving! in search for enemy shipping. low, poured a stream of cannon A bomb-aimer who was about shells into her hull all along the Zooming up aguin to attack a 1,200-ton vessel sud-water line. denly saw a bigger target and he repeated the attack on so released only half his load. other side of the
He saw the first ship hit.
The second ship was thought
to be about 3,500 tons.
The plot dived from · 1,500
the vessel and had when he last saw her she
feet lower sunk at least four into the water.
Because he did not
sce
feet, firing the front guns all actually sink he
her
only claimed
the way down. Just before her in R.A.F. terms-as
?
"pro-
the aircraft was pulled out of bably destroyed.”~British Wire-
the dive, bomba were released less.
and the rear gunner took
the machine-gunning.
up
be rio
So that there should waste of effort incendiaries car- ried by this aircra ́t were saved for a third alming point inland Industria farget.
an
Spaced along the Canal there were other ships of various ton- nage, from 0,000 to 10,000 tons.
Delayed Action Bombs
After cach ättäck our aircraft were back in cloud cover before the crews could see the delayed action bombs explode.
*
N.Z. NAVY MEN IN BRITAIN
A further draft of New Zea-
and personnel for seamen and Fleet Air Arm branches of the Royal-Navy-has arrived in Bri tain from the Dominion and was 'welcomed at the port of arrival on behalf of the New Zealand High Commissioner by a senior officer of his staff....
But beneath the clouds, the weather was so clear. It was possible to take good aim, and Another draft of reinforcements the crew of one: aircraft wore for the New Zealand forestry unit confident that they had account-in Britain also arrived recently,
British Wireless, ed for one of the larger ships.
at
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