HEAVY DAMAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 August 1941, Page 6

HEAVY DAMAGE

DONE TO AERODROMES IN CRETE PETROL & MUNITION DUMPS HIT. OTHER SUCCESSFUL R.A.F. OPERATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, August 3. Strong attacks by the R.A.F. on enemy-occupied Crete are described in the latest R.A.F. Middle East communique, which states: “R.A.F. bombers carried out a heavy attack on enemy-occupied aerodromes in Crete on the night of August 1. At Candia, very large explosions, followed by extensive fires, indicated

that a petrol dump had been hit.

At Maleme bombs appeared to have exploded on a munitions dump, as a violent detonation was followed by a great fire, sending smoke up to a height of 5,000 feet. When our aircraft were forty miles away, the glow of the fire could still be seen over the high intervening mountains. "On August. 1, our bombers attacked shipping at Lampedusa. Two merchant vessels of about 300 tons each were hit by several bombs and wreckage could be seen flying high into the air. Our aircraft also attacked and silenced machine-gun posts.

“Other aircraft attacked a number of S79’s on the aerodrome at Borillo, on Sicily. “One enemy aircraft was destroyed and large numbers were badly damaged. A large number of Junkers 87’s, escorted by Messerschmitt 109 s, delivered an attack on his Majesty’s ships off the North African coast yesterday. Our fighters intercepted the enemy formation and shot down four Junkers 87s and one Messerschmitt 109 and badly damaged several more Messerschmitts. Three of our fighters are missing from this engagement. In addition to the fighters mentioned, one of our aircraft has not so far returned.”