Heligoland pilots

Heligoland pilots

Photograph of twelve aircrew all grinning some with thumbs up. Text explains they were some of the aircrew who took part in the great aerial battle of Heligoland. Pencilled note 'Jan 5th 1940'.
Aircraftman Harry Gillott is standing second right.

1940-01-05

One newspaper cutting with b/w photograph and text

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NDoxseyJA180920-01

[missing words] aerial gate-crashers a lesson, and sent up a fleet of fighters to engage the "Wellingtons" when they approached their objective at Wilhelmshaven.

[missing words] employ very successfully eight [missing words] latter class of weapon.

In the Heligoland Bight battle the "Wellingtons" - 100 miles per hour

[missing words] the Messerschmitts 110 attempted the most spectacular attacks at great speed on the beam of the formations, trying to sweep the formations with fire from stem to stern.

[photograph]

Here are some of the British pilots who took part in the great aerial battle of Heligoland. Smiles and thumbs up show that they know they had by far the best of it. The official report of the Heligoland battle stated that: "The laurels go to the Wellington bombers, which resisted the most desperate, and, it may be said also, the most courageous and dashing efforts of the enemy's crack fighters to break them up."

Jun 5th 1940

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[unrelated newspaper article]