IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 July 1940, Page 5

IN THE MIDDLE EAST

ITALIANS SUFFER HEAVY LOSSES BRITISH FIGHTERS' CHALLENGE. BOMBER CRASHES AT MALTA. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 10. Six British fighters in the Middle East Command recently raided an Italian frontier aerodrome and deliberately waited for the enemy to. take off and prepare to attack. When six were in the air a young flying' officer leading the first section gave the signal to attack. He shot down four of the enemy himself. His flight sergeant got two. A third pilot had a long dog-fight but eventually saw his opponent diving headlong to the earth out of control. Meanwhile, more enemy fighters had taken off, and other R.A.F. planes went into action. The leader sent the nearest Italian plane down in flames and another pilot chased the escaping enemy until he shot him down. One of our aircraft was damaged, but the pilot baled out and landed safely on the Egyptian side of the frontier. A message from Minorca (Balearic Islands) states that an Italian bomber landed there after an encounter with British fighters. Two of the crew of six had been wounded. A Royal Air Force communique issued in Cairo states that enemy bombers, supported and guarded by two formations of fighters, attempted to raid Malta. British fighters set fire to a bomber, which crashed.

ANOTHER RAID ON MALTA THREE ENEMY MACHINES BROUGHT DOWN. FIGHTING IN AFRICAN AREAS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, July 11. When Italian planes yesterday again raided Malta R.A.F. fighters and antiaircraft guns brought down three and seriously damaged a fourth. One of the enemy planes crashed on the land and two in the sea. A communique from the British Army headquarters in Cairo states that 300 enemy colonial troops with artillery and aircraft occupied a police post at Kurmuk on Sunday. The small garrison of Sudanese police withdrew after inflicting 50 casualties. It is announced that four air raids were made on Alexandria in the last 24 hours, but there were no casualties and no damage. It is officially announced at Nairobi that Italian planes dropped eight bombs and machine-gunned Buna. There were no casualties. The enemy heavily shelled Moyale and attacked British troops, but .no details were available. ■ MHIIIIII lIHOII'J M* LUI I