SEVERE LOSSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 May 1942, Page 3

SEVERE LOSSES

SUFFERED BY NAZI RAIDERS ON BRITAIN Eleven Destroyed on Thursday Night and Others Damaged MORE R.A.F. FIGHTER SWEEPS OVER FRANCE SKY ABOVE CHANNEL ALIVE WITH PLANES LONDON, Mjiy 1. The R.A.F. made further fighter sweeps over Northern France today and is reported, this evening to be out in force over the Channel. One agency correspondent on the south-east coast described the sky as alive with R.A.F. machines. Explosions were heard coming from the other side of the Channel. Early today Fighter Command planes swept over the Dunkirk area, but no Germans came up to meet therm In a sweep over Calais our fighters shot down one plane without loss to the R.A.F. Last night our defences wrought havoc among German raiders coming over this country. At least a quarter of the enemy machines were destroyed or badly damaged. The Germans returned to their hit and run tactics and made scattered raids on various parts of the north-east coast. The number of planes taking part was certainly well under 50. Our night fighters destroyed eight over this country and another three ovefr bases in France. Four of the raiders destroyed last night fell to a Beaufighter squadron led by Lord Beaverbrook’s son, Wing-Com-mander Aitken, who himself shot down one of the enemy planes into the sea. A Czech pilot shot down two other enemy planes and shared in the shooting down of another. In the last eight nights the Germans have lost at least 24 bombers over this country. This takes no account of others so heavily damaged as to have little chance of getting back to their bases.

The Air Ministry states that a strong formation of Spitfires escorted Boston and Hurricane bombers across the Channel and swept over Le Havre and Cape Gris Nez this afternoon. They destroyed at least four enemy planes.