AIR ACTIVITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 August 1942, Page 3

AIR ACTIVITY

OVER WESTERN DESERT LAND OPERATIONS IN EGYPT RESTRICTED. ALLIED PLANES TAKING TOLL OF ENEMY SHIPPING. LONDON, August 2. Increased activity by the R.A.F. over the 'Western Desert is reported. Land operations have been again restricted in all sectors to patrolling. Planes have made successful attacks on Axis tanks and transport. Three motor barges were destroyed off the coast, and others were damaged, in a British air attack. United States bombers scored two hits on a large motor-ship, which was left sinking. In a raid on Tobruk, two ships in the harbour were hit. Nine planes are missing, but the pilots of three are safe. PLANES BUSY IN THE BATTLE AREA & ELSEWHERE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) RUGBY, August 2. A Cairo Communique states: “Our patrol activities continued yesterday in all sectors; otherwise there is nothing to report from our land forces. “Our bombers operated on an increased scale and carried out attacks on enemy camps in the battle area, An ammunition dump was blown up and many enemy vehicles were destroyed. One Messerschmitt 109 was shot down. “In attacks on some lighters off the coast, between Sidi Barrani and Mersa Matruh, our long-range fighters destroyed three and damaged others. In the evening, a force of heavy Allied bombers attacked a large merchantman near Derna. Two direct hits are claimed on the vessel, which, it is reported, was sinking at the close of the attack.” TARGETS IN LIBYA ENEMY HEADQUARTERS BOMBED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY, August 2. An enemy headquarters was among the objectives attacked by our planes in the battle area in Egypt yesterday. Of the lighters attacked off the coast, one sank, one blew up and one caught fire. Others were hit with cannon fire. On the night of July 31, a large force of heavy bombers raided shipping and harbour installations at Tobruk. Direct hits were scored on two ships in the harbour. Fires were observed on jetties. Other aircraft caused a fire at Mersa Matruh. Two enemy planes were destroyed at Malta. Nine of our planes are missing from all operations. Three of the pilots are safe. LULL MISLEADING ROMMEL CALLING FOR FURTHER REINFORCEMENTS. LONDON, July 31. There is a misleading air of apathy over the El Alamein front, where the silence is broken only by the occasional thump of bombs and the chorus of sharp explosions as anti-aircraft guns go into action, reports “The Times” correspondent in the Western Desert. This lull is misleading. It hides considerable activity as the enemy attempts desperately- to build up and strengthen his defensive positions. Rommel is calling loudly for further reinforcement',. A certain number of German troops have been brought in from Greece and surrounding territory, but it is doubtful whether they have brought anything more than small arms. Growing air raids against supply ports, combined with ceaseless attacks against coastal shipping, have contiibuted materially to thwart reinforcements and supplies for Rommel. ITALIAN PANIC IN FACE OF MAORI BAYONET CHARGE. REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY OVERWHELMED. LONDON, August 1. A British United Press correspondent with the Eighth Army, says _ that sheer unadulterated Italian panic is written all over several hundred acres comprising the Alamnayil ridge on the south sector of the Alamein front. Here two battalions of Maoris chanting a blood-curdling war cry, one night early in July, charged an Italian artillery regiment when the Axis was making an effort to reach Alexandria. The Maoris, using cold steel in the face of point-blank fire, captured' 44 pieces of artillery. The Italians streamed toward the Maoris with their hands up before the Maoris even reached the Italian gun positions. “I have just visited Alamnayil,” states this correspondent. “Many guns are still there, but they are only fit for melting. The New Zealanders wrecked the guns before pressing forward in the wake of the enemy advance guard which had flown in complete panic. The New Zealanders left hundreds of Italian prisoners behind. I have seen signs of Italian panic before—-in Spain and in Albania—but never worse than here. Germans recently replaced Italians, but the New'Zealanders’ ardour is undamped . New Zealanders using slick bombs knocked out lots of German tanks. One New Zealander put two out of action by climbing on the tanks and dropping stick bombs through the turrets.” -