![]() ![]() One of the bomber’s routes took it directly over Edinburgh, preventing the pursuing Spitfire pilot from engaging for fear of collateral damage. Though the third group of bombers did manage to drop bombs near HMS Mohawk, inflicting damage and causing casualties, the rest were pursued and driven off. The rest of the afternoon consisted of a series of encounters as Spitfire pilots continued sorties. As with the previous kill, the JU-88 ditched into the sea, and Pohle and one gunner were recovered and placed into custody (though the gunner died later). ![]() The three Spitfires managed to bring down his aircraft. Meanwhile, Pinkerton pursued the first bomber group eastwards. The JU-88 crashed into the sea, and local fishermen recovered three survivors, shortly thereafter handing them into the custody of local police. He quoted the kill as being made at 14.45 and is thus credited as being the first man to shoot an enemy aircraft down in a Spitfire. At this point, Red Section returned westwards and F/L Gifford effectively stole the kill, unaware that Yellow Section was in pursuit. 603 Squadron was the first to engage the enemy, spattering the second element with bullets as they attempted to retreat and causing damage to one of the Junkers. Spitfire MkI of 602 Squadron based at Drem, March 1940īoth sections were too late to intercept the first two German elements, which had released their bombs and were attempting to flee the area. 603 Squadron were simultaneously dispatched, in two sections Red Section led by Flight Lieutenant Pat Gifford, and Yellow Section, led by Flight Lieutenant George Denham. 602 squadron had been scrambled around 14.00 to investigate unidentified aircraft over Trenant, but finding nothing there, Pinkerton was ordered north to the River Forth, whilst aircraft from no. He believed his bombs to have successfully hit and his flight turned South to escape the area just as the second wave was arriving. Pohle was the first to drop his payload, his chosen target was HMS Southhampton. They shifted their attack to the three ships that were in the target area in the River Forth: the HMS Edinburgh, HMS Southhampton & HMS Mohawk. The Luftwaffe at this point in the war was under strict instruction to avoid civilian casualties the Repulse was therefore not a viable target. The earlier reconnaissance had mistakenly identified the HMS Repulse as the Hood, and this ship was in the dockyard. The USS Hood, however, was not to be found in the river. Four elements of three Junkers JU-88A-1 Bombers thus departed from Westerland, directed towards Rosyth Naval Base on the afternoon of October 16th. Kampgeschgwader 30, led by Hauptmann Helmuth Pohle, had their target the Royal Navy battlecruiser, HMS Hood, which was believed to have been sighted that morning. The rest of the morning saw Spitfires on continual sorties to intercept further unknown intruders into British air space, though none of these resulted in any enemy contact. These were the first shots fired in the air war over Britain. Pinkerton and his wingman did fire upon the aircraft, though no damage was caused. The Heinkel moved away from danger into cloud cover. The German aircraft were spotted over Drem, and at around 10.21, Pinkerton’s group sighted one of the bombers and moved to attack. Detected by RDF (Radio Direction Finder), Spitfires of 602 Squadron were scrambled to intercept, led by Flight Lieutenant George Pinkerton. They were based at Westerland on the island of Sylt, the closest Luftwaffe base to Britain at that time. The morning of 16th October 1939 saw the deployment of two Heinkel He 111 aircraft of Kampgeschgwader 26 on photographic duty. The Forth Bridge area prior to the Battle. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |