HEROIC FEAT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 December 1940, Page 6

HEROIC FEAT

OF THREE BRITISH BOMBERS ROAD CLOSED TO ITALIANS NEAR KORITZA. ONLY ONE PLANE GETS BACK. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.25 p.m.) LONDON, December 3. The Air Ministry has revealed that three R.A.F. Blenheim bombers, of which only one returned, stopped the Italians reforming their line and rushing up troops in order to hold Koritza. The bombing followed on an appeal from the Greek General Staff. The R.A.F. aircraft dived to within a few feet of the ground and bombed and machine-gunned lorries and troops on the Pogradec-Koritza road, despite a fierce ground fire.

According to the 8.8. C. the sergeantpilot in charge of the one machine that survived reported bombing and destroying a bridge over a ravine. The road was thus closed to the Italians. So low was the altitude from which the bridge was bombed that, in the words of the sergeant-pilot, “bits of our own bomb came back and hit us.’’ It was six days after this exploit that the Greek troops marched into Koritza.