SEVERE BLOWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 January 1941, Page 6

SEVERE BLOWS

STRUCK BY SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE LONG-DISTANCE RAIDS INTO ABYSSINIA. HAVOC WROUGHT ON ENEMY AERODROMES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Dav. 11.47 a.m.) RUGBY. January 30. Details of successful operations carried out by the South African Air Force on three successive days, dealing a severe blow to the Italians without loss on their part, reached London today. The pilots of two squadrons flew hundreds of miles across a wilderness inhabited by hostile natives, over a distance somewhat longer than R.A.F. planes have to cover when they bomb Berlin. Through fierce anti-aircraft fire, six aircraft attacked a car park at Neghelli. A few seconds afterwards, flames were seen shooting sixty feet into the air and a column of black smoke, visible 35 miles away, rose 6.000 feet as a result of direct hits on twoj buildings, believed to be petrol stores. Other bombs caused violent explosions. and on their way home the pilots saw a car park on which they counted 150 vehicles completely burnt out. On the following day. the South African Air Force paid Yavello a fifteenth visit. At about dawn, the planes swooped down over the aerodrome, and, des-j pite strong opposition, destroyed a| Caproni and damaged the runway with, direct hits, machine-gunning other j Capronis hidden in the bush. Smoke I was rising like a cloud from the target. Next morning a third and most successful raid was carried out by aircraft penetrating 250 miles across the Abyssinian border and reaching Sciasumann, half-way to Addis Ababa. As an immediate result of salvos dropped on I the landing field, one Savoia was set I on fire and two more were completely! gutted by direct hits. The wing and* tail of one Caproni machine were bro-' ken off. A number of other Savoias! were seriously damaged by bombs! which exploded within fifteen feet of j them. i

After this, not content with having already inflicted great damage, the pilots bombed hutments and administrative buildings, three of which they left in flames.