SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1941, Page 5

SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS

ON ENEMY AIRFIELDS MADE BY SOVIET PLANES. MANY GERMAN AIRCRAFT DESTROYED. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 4. A feature of the news from Russia today is the weight of the Soviet attacks on enemy airfields. A supplementary Soviet communique states: “One of our gun batteries successfully shelled an enemy aerodrome in one sector of the Kalinin front. Eleven planes were destroyed and nine others damaged. “Russian planes meanwhile yesterday raided an aerodrome at StarayaRussa, where forty, enemy planes were concentrated. The Russian command decided to destroy the aerodrome and the planes. Five Soviet planes -flew to the aerodrome and in spite of bad visibility they found the target and dropped several thousand kilograms of high explosives. Violent explosions, ensued. “Their task was fulfilled, and soon afterward Russian Stormoviks attacked the planes and the aerodrome. The enemy planes could not take off, because the airfield had been badly damaged in the previous attack. Enemy attempts to drive away the Russian planes by a strong barrage were frustrated. The Stormoviks carried out attack after attack. Five enemy planes were burnt out and 10 destroyed by direct hits. Many soldiers were killed by machine-gun fire. All the Russian planes returned safely to their bases.”