First Air Raid of WWII – 29

14:40 – Pohle’s aircraft intercepted

 
While Storp had been attempting to evade the pursuing Spitfires his Gruppenkommandeur was also being intercepted.

On reaching their appointed position over Tranent George Pinkerton, leading the three Spitfires of Blue Section, 602 Squadron, had been informed by control that:  ‘Enemy aircraft bombing Rosyth, patrol five miles north of present position’. He then spotted an aircraft approximately three miles ahead, flying east over a bank of cloud. Ordering his section into line astern he prepared to attack but his attention was drawn by Archie McKellar to three dark planes which were closer on the port side.

He led Blue Section round to come down on their tail.  These turned out to be naval Sea Skua training aircraft of HMS Merlin from RNAS Donibristle (155 Brigade AA battery later recorded that the Skuas had hampered their effectiveness at Donibristle). The aircraft were unfamiliar to the 602 pilots and George Pinkerton later recorded: ‘These chaps never knew how close they came to being shot down.’

Pinkerton then resumed his plan to intercept the enemy aircraft he had originally spotted, this aircraft was being flown by Pohle. Having left his orbiting position over Inverkeithing he was now heading home.

By this time F/O Paul Webb had broken away from Pinkerton and McKellar and lost visual contact with them.  The other two Spitfires of Blue Section climbed through the bank of cloud and continued their pursuit of their quarry from the position of superior altitude.

George Pinkerton spotted the German through a gap in the clouds, switched his radio to transmit and called out: ‘Villa, Blue Section, Tally Ho, Buster’, and with the aircraft of McKellar following close behind he dived from above, with superchargers at full boost, to get into a position behind the German bomber.

During this initial dive the Spitfire of McKellar almost overhauled that of Pinkerton as he opened fire closing to 50 yards before breaking off his attack. As the Ju88 attempted to reach cloud cover McKellar opened fire, riddling the port wing before breaking off. The Ju88 dodged in and out of the broken cloud cover, with Pohle at the controls desperately trying to shake off his attackers, and each time he re-appeared either Pinkerton or McKellar were there to open fire.

The vigilant Observer Corps subsequently logged the sound of aircraft firing at 14.43 hours, in the vicinity of Elie.