Evening star., 1940-06-01
Declare Foe Losinq
7 Planes for Every
One Produced
Report II Of 80 Nozi
Planes Shot Down
By II R. A. F. Craft
BY DREW MIDDLETON,
Associated Press War Correspondent

WITH THE ROYAL AIR FORCE,
SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND, June
PASSED by Air Ministry CENSOR -
Royal Air Force flyers believe they
are shooting down German planes
twice as fast as Nazi factories can
turn them out.
Between flights of the death pa
troll over the English Channel, a
senior officer, who holds several
medals and citations, said:
Il think we are knocking down
five for every one we lose, putting
two out of action for every one
their factories can produce"
Declaring that Jerry never goes
for us unless he's got good odds in
his favor" this officer emphasized,
rs all England has done, that I'VE
need ships and more ships"
Our ships are better armored,"
he said, land our ships are more
maneuverable. Whether it's nature
or training, when we see Jerry we
attack. When he sees us, he counts
us before he fights. But we need
more ships"
Big Victory Claimed.
A dozen flyers related how an R.
A. F. patrol shot down IL German
planes in a battle yesterday over
Dunkerque, France, although out
numbered 80 to 81, and lost only
one plane in the action.
Some of the pilots and their ma
chine gunners, members of a squad
ron which claims to have dropped SO
German planes in four days, de-
clared that Britain's new two-man,
four-gun Deflants can whip their
weight in German Messerschmitts
any time.
In numbers. the Nazis have had
the edge in most of the engage
ments of the last three weeks, they
said.
A young pilot called Cookie" re-
counting battle during the R. A.
F.s protection of Allied forces re-
treating from Flanders to the Chan
mel pointed out the technical diff
ference in British planes.
He said the Germans lost SO
planes while engaging British craft
firing from power driven turrets.
Those Jerrles don't seem to be
able to tell us from Hurricanes" he
said. Hurricanes fire forwardD
"They come along side us, or as
we say, on the BEAM and the
gunner lets 60. It's like knocking
apples off a tree"
Yesterdays battle Of the 21
against 80 was little more UNEQUAL
than most of the engagements
fought in the air in the last three
weeks. For sheer weight of num-
bers, the Germans have been on top
constantly
The conflict began when the q
British planes sought and found the
German squadron of 40 Heinkel
bombers that had been harassing
ground troops.
Just after we found them"
pilot said, I'VE were attacked from
above by 40 more German planes.
Messerschmitts, the best plane they
have.
DOWncO III lanes.
I'm the running battle which
spread along the coast we shot down
IL enemy planes. They fell in
flames, We saw three more wobble
and spin out of line.
I'VE didn't chase them. You don't
IN this war"
The flyers related their expert
ences at their base, where, 10 min
utes after they returned from patrol
duty over Dunkerque, they were
slipping tea and lolling in deck
chairs.
One officer emphasized that sin
gle combat business" is avoided as
much as possible.
I'VE fly in box formation" he ex-
planned, and heaven help the man
who loses it,
Il call the youngsters back when
they stray. 1t might be one of Jer-
rvs decoys he's chasing. They're
good at that"
The base at which the airmen
told their stories is referred to
tokingly as "the halfway house be-
tween life and death"
Three thousand planes have been
serviced and refueled at this base
in the last three weeks.
Day and night the planes come
and 60. The gas is poured in, the
machine gun belts refilled, motors
checked and general tune-up given.
Then the ship is ready to go again.
While the mechanics work on the
ship, the pilots and gunners rest.
AS the planes return from the
death patrol, the occupants, young,
easy and confident, Chamber out
and start swapping stories.
They wear yellow life Jackets