WESTERN FRONT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 November 1939, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT

REPORT ON AIR FIGHTING SIX GERMAN MACHINES DESTROYED. ONE FRENCH PLANE LOST. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrigh* (Received This Day, 9.15-a.m.) PARIS, November 23. A war communique states that it is fairly quiet on the front and adds: “There was artillery fire at various points. We brought down five enemy fighters in our territory on Wednesday. Furthermore a German reconnaissance plane, attacked by French fighters over Gravelines, fell into Belgian territory. We lost one fighter.” MOSELLE AREA GERMANS ADMIT FRENCH ADVANCE. LONDON, November 23. The German official news agency admits a French advance on the Moselle front and declares that French artillery of all calibres was active south of Perl. The French advanced to the* edge of a wood south of Kitzling and the Mandern Road. A platoon advancing south of Merzig was dispersed by artillery. The French communique states that there was marked activity by aircraft on both sides last night, with desultory German artillery fire in the vicinity of Blies. ANOTHER FRENCH SUCCESS. (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) PARIS, November 23. A French fighter shot down a German warplane in Franche Comte. GERMAN REPORT (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) LONDON, November 23. A message from Berlin says a war communique reports that a British flying-boat was set on fire at the Shetlands, also: “Four French planes were shot down during border patrols and a fifth near Sedan. Lively air scouting over England and France achieved unusually valuable results, despite a strong aerial and anti-air-craft defence. A German plane was forced down at Freiburg. The enemy reconnaisseurs hugged the frontier.”