PROUD RECORD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 December 1940, Page 9

PROUD RECORD

R.A.F. ACHIEVEMENTS IN AFRICA & ALBANIA. HEAVY ITALIAN LOSSES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, December 22. Official accounts of the co-operation by the Royal Air Force in the campaign in Egypt and Libya between December 7 and 19 show that at. least 144 enemy planes have been destroyed, comprising 88 destroyed in the air and 56 destroyed on the ground or captured. The British losses were 13 planes, but five of the pilots were saved. It is reported from Athens that the Royal Air Force in that zone has lost only nine planes since the Italian invasion of Greece began. It has dropped 42 tons of bombs on Valona in 18 raids, and 28 tons on Durazzo in eight raids. One squadron shot down 39 Italian planes and probably 12 more, but lost only one man killed and one missing.

The official story of the air operations over the Western Desert deals in detail with the surprise attack which began on the night of December 7 at Castel Benito, where extensive damage was done to all five hangars, and the subsequent bombing of the aerodromes at Benina, Sidi Barrani. Solium, and Bardia. and also aerodromes throughout Libya. The communique mentions that 20 tons of bombs were dropped on December 8 on the Benina aerodrome, which was carpeted with flames, but the heaviest raid, on December 10, was on El Adem, where numbers of aircraft on the ground were destroyed and the aerodrome was completely gutted. Raids between December’ 15 and 17 were on Bardia, Boma, and Appolonia. These and other targets were bombed with increasing severity

on occasions too numerous to mention. Continuous attacks from dawn to dusk were made on troops and motor transports, and a particularly heavy raid was made on Tobruk, where petrol stores and ammunition dumps were blown up.