RAIDS & BATTLES
R.A.F. BUSY IN MANY THEATRES ENEMY HARRIED IN GREECE & LIBYA. TOLL TAKEN OF OPPOSING AIRCRAFT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.38 a.m.) RUGBY, April 23. A R.A.F. Middle East communique states: “In Cyrenaica a large force of enemy aircraft was intercepted over Tobruk yesterday afternoon by R.A.F. fighters, and although greatly outnumbered, our planes attacked immediately and shot down one Junkers 87, two Messerschmitt 109's and one G5O, while other enemy aircraft were badly damaged. “It is now confirmed that in a previous raid on Tobruk, on April 19. four unidentified enemy aircraft were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire. “Both bombers and fighters continued to attack the enemy mechanised forces throughout yesterday and on the previous night. A machine-gun attack on a considerable number of German motor transport vehicles, containing motorised infantry, resulted in heavy casualties and much confusion to the enemy. “In an early morning raid on Benghazi bombs were dropped on two. moles. A direct hit was registered on a ship and other shipping was damaged. “The results of a night raid on Barce, in which a large quantity of bombs were dropped, were not fully observed, owing to cloud. “In Greece reconnaissance aircraft arc actively engaged, supporting our troops on the ground, and our fighters have carried out many offensive patrols successfully. Enemy air attacks on our aerodromes have been heavy, but the damage is slight. Our ground defences brought down four divebombers —Junkers 87's —and one Dornier and damaged several others. “In Abyssinia, South African Air Force fighters destroyed one Caproni over Debra Markos, while at the Alomat landing ground aircraft of a Rhodesian squadron destroyed one 579 and two CA 133’s by machine-gun fire. “Sunerficial damage was done io Civilian property at Malta during a raid on Monday night. One Messerschmitt 109 was shot down by our fighters during, a raid on Monday afternoon.
“From all the above operations two of our aircraft are missing but one pilot is safe.”
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 April 1941, Page 6
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327RAIDS & BATTLES Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 April 1941, Page 6
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