HEAVY DESTRUCTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 June 1943, Page 4

HEAVY DESTRUCTION

OF GROUNDED ENEMY AIRCRAFT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.0 a.m.) RUGBY, June 13. Large numbers of enemy planes were smashed on the ground in three airfields in Western Sicily by the North-West African Air Force yesterday, while the bombing of Lampedusa was still in progress, says a correspondent attached to Allied Headquaters. Flying Fortresses found nearly 150 planes parked at Castel Vctrano and Bocca Di Falco and they dropped care-fully-aimed fragmentation bombs among them. Many fires and two explosions were seen and a large fire was observed in the south central part of the airfield. At Bocca Di Falco Aerodrome, which is near Palermo, many of the 72 planes on the fields were destroyed. Many hits were also scored on buildings near the aerodrome. A fire and black smoke rising from the centre of the field was visible 25 miles away. Ten enemy fighters were seen shortly after the bombers left the target, but these made no attacks.

Marauders carried out an attack on the Milo Airfield, near Trapani. Only negligible anti-aircraft fire was encountered anywhere and ,few enemy planes were seen in the air.