London, Jan, 3.
GERMAN aeroplane which reached the Shetland Islands yesterday made off when British fighters took to the air. Visibility was poor at the time and the German plane did not drop any bombs.
No air raid warning was sounded.
A fierce encounter between three R.A.F. bombers and twelve Nazi fighting planes near the German coast yesterday is described in an Air Ministry bulletin issued last night.
"There has been extensive air activity over North Sea today in the neighbourhood of the German coast," says the communique, "During the afternoon a formation of three R.A.F. bombers encountered a squadron of twelve Messerschmidt long-range fighters, well out at sea.
The formation, although heavily outnumbered, gave battle to the enemy.
"One Messerschmidt was shot down
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.