HARD AT IT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1941, Page 6

HARD AT IT

R.A.F. BUSY IN AFRICA ENEMY TROOPS & BASES STRAFED. HEAVY RAIDS ON TRIPOLI & BENGHAZI. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) RUGBY, April 20. A R.A.F. Middle East communique states: “During yesterday and on the previous night the R.A.F. continued to inflict heavy casualties and damage on enemy personnel and material in Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. Motor transport vehicles were destroyed in numerous localities, including aerodromes at El Adem, Bardia and Monastir by bomb and machine-gun attacks. “A number of enemy aircraft were bombed and damaged at Derna Aerodrome and Berka Aerodrome was also raided by our fighters, which carried out.continuous offensive patrols and inflicted heavy casualties on enemy motorised troops. They also machine-gun-ned the aerodrome at Gazala, where they destroyed one 579 and damaged a number of CR42’s on the ground. Two Messerschmitt 109’s were also shot down over Gazala by our fighters and cne was shot down and several others damaged elsewhere.

“’During the night of April 18, our bombers raided the harbour of Benghazi and obtained direct hits on a ship and started fires on the moles and quays. On the same night, a heavy raid was carried out on the harbour of Tripoli. About fifteen tons of bombs were dropped anti several hits were registered on the Spanish and West moles, while other bombs straddled shipping at the quays. In Greece yesterday, and on the previous day, there was considerable successful R.A.F. activity. German divebombers. escorted by fighters, attempting l 'to attack our ground troops at various points, and shipping at Chaicis, were intercepted by our fighter patrols. During the day, without loss to themselves, our fighters shot down three Junkers 87’s, two Junkers 88’s, four Messerschmitt 109's, and one Heinkel 128. and severely damaged many others. Yesterday several other S79’s were seriously damaged by our fighters over Melos.

“In the Dossie area, in Abyssinia, enemy positions and motor transport were bombed and machine-gunned and ,direct hits were obtained on fortifications and military buildings. South African fighters machine-gunned motor transport north of Dossie, causing considerable damage and setting fire to a number of oil tanks. “From all these operations, one of our fighters is missing.”