ONE IN 13 LOST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20919, 20 October 1942, Page 3

ONE IN 13 LOST

MALTA JL\IDERS_ WEEK’S GOOD RECORD ATTACK SLACKENING (Bv Tfilegrapb—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (lUOa.m.) LONDON. Oct. 19. In the week-ended October 17, the enemy lost 114 aircraft in the assault on Malta for a British loss of 27 Spitfires. with 14 pilots saved. The enemy made some 1400 sorties against the island. Therefore, approximately one hostile aircraft in 13 which set out from Sicily failed to returh. This .takes no account of scores of others so crippled that they had little hope of getting home. Never before had pilots destroyed so many of the enemy in one week around Malta. Altogether .the Axis lost 131 planes last week, of which 125 were shot down in the Middle East, three over Britain, and three over Western Europe. The Royal Air Force lost 70 machines, including 36 over Western Europe and 33 in the Middle East. , The renewed Axis air attack on Malta, which began eight days ago, has slackened considerably. Only a few fighters and fighter-bombers made tip-and-run raids on .the aerodromes yesterday and no damage was caused. Snitfires destroyed one raider.

Cairo headquarters state that on land there was some patrol and artillery' activity 'yesterday."' Air' activity over the ' battle area was on a small scale, but our long-range fighters successfully attacked targets on the coastal road. .On Saturday night our torpedo-carrying aircraft attacked an enemy merchant ship which was listing to port and beached near the coast of Tripolitania following a previous attack on Wednesday night. Our long-range fighters on offensive patrol over Sicily shot down a Heinkel 111, while fighters inland destroyed two Messerschmitt 109s'. We lost one aircraft in these operations, but the pilot is safe.