HEAVY TOLL TAKEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 July 1940, Page 5

HEAVY TOLL TAKEN

BY BRITISH AIR & GROUND FORCES ALMOST 2,500 NAZI PLANES BROUGHT DOWN. SINCE OUTBREAK OF WAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, July 8. “The Times” states that the official British records show that Germany since the outbreak of the war has lost almost 2,500 warplanes in operations against British forces alone. The greater number of these have been brought down by Royal Air Force fighters over France, Norway and Britain, but they also include the successes of the Fleet Air Arm and the anti-aircraft defences. This takes no account of the losses by the enemy at the hands of the French, Dutch and Norwegians, nor those known to have been damaged that might not have reached home. . For Germany the loss of pilots and crews is an increasingly serious matter. The British construction of aircraft, by the latest survey, has tremendously increased, and the pilottraining system here and in the Empire, in contrast to Germany, is producing in ever greater numbers from its resources. Jn raids over England yesterday and idßnight at least seven German planes wJje brought down. Hurricane flght- < accounted for four German fighters and a bomber, and the other two enemy planes were brought down by anti-aircraft fire. This brings the total of enemy aircraft shot down over and near Britain to more than 40 since June 18 and makes an average of two a day. The German attacks, which continued this morning, still have caused very little real damage. On the other hand, powerful raids were made on important objectives in Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, and over the Heligoland Bight. Round the Mediterranean theatre many successful attacks were reported by the R.A.F. over Italian North Africa and Cicily.

MANY SUCCESSES CLAIMED BY THE GERMAN HIGH COMMAND. ALLEGED DESTRUCTION OF UNKNOWN SHIP. (Received This Day, 9 a.m.) BERLIN, July 8. The High Command states: “U--boats sank, off the Spanish coast, 215,000 tons of enemy shipping, including the armed British merchantman San Fernando, of 13,000 tons (unlisted at Lloyds). “The Air Force successfully bombed the railway station at Brighton, coastal batteries on the Isle of Wight, harbour works and barracks at Falmouth, and munition works at Middlesborough and Newcastle. German planes also attacked convoys and shipping concentrations off the south coast, sinking two merchantmen and one transport and damaging others. / “British raids against Northern and ' Western Germany caused slight damage. Two civilians were killed. “The enemy lost fourteen planes yesterday, including ten Spitfires, in a fight over the Channel. Three of our planes are missing.” BRITAIN GIVES FACTS ONLY TWO FIGHTERS LOST DURING WAR. OVER AND NEAR BRITAIN LONDON, July 8. A communique states that during an air battle over the English Channel yesterday, one of the Spitfire squadrons shot down two Messerschmitt fighters and attacked three more. All the British pilots returned to their base unscathed. German claims to have brought down 10 British fighters in yesterday's fights over and near Britain are officially regarded as typical of Nazi exaggeration. The British lost one plane only, this being the second fighter to have been lost on the defence of Britain since the war began. SIX ENEMY PLANES SHOT DOWN ON MONDAY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY. July 8. This afternoon aircraft of the Fighter Command of the R.A.F. shot down two enemj' fighters near the South-East Coast. This evening one of our lighter patrols shot down an enemy bomber off the West Coast. Six enemy aircraft in all are now known to have been shot down today.