VARIOUS GAINS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 April 1943, Page 3

VARIOUS GAINS

ON TUNISIAN LAND FRONTS EIGHTEEN ENEMY AIRCRAFT DESTROYED. TWO BRITISH PLANES MISSING. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, April 29. A North African communique states: “There was very active patrolling yesterday on the Eighth Army front. “Fierce fighting occurred on the First Army front, north-east of Medjez el Bab, where we made some advance and where the enemy launched two strong counter-attacks. The first was repulsed, with heavy loss to the enemy, in infantry and tanks, but the second forced our leading troops to make a slight withdrawal.

“In the south the French have made further local gains. “The American Second Corps, in the north, has made further progress and gained some important ground. “Mitchells, escorted by Lightnings, yesterday directly hit two ships in the Sicilian Straits, leaving one of the vessels on fire. Seven of a formation of intercepting enemy fighters were shot down. Kittyhawks, escorted by Spitfires, blew up a ship in the Gulf of Tunis, left three other vessels on fire, and destroyed five enemy aircraft. Light bombers and fighter-bombers continued attacks on enemy positions and transport, destroying vehicles and starting fires. Fighters, maintaining patrols and sweeps in a forward area, shot down five enemy planes. One enemy machine was destroyed on Tuesday night. From all these operations two of our planes are missing.”