ALMOST DAILY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 October 1943, Page 3

ALMOST DAILY

AIR BATTLES OVER AEGEAN

MANY ALLIED NIGHT RAIDS. BALANCE OF LOSSES MUCH AGAINST ENEMY. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 26. Air battles in the Aegean have become almost daily occurrences since the Allies intensified the airattacks on the German-held islands during the past month, states a Cairo correspondent. Almost nightly, raids have been carried out on enemy islands and airfields, and constant attacks have been made on his shipping moving among the islands. R.A.F. bombers from the Middle East have concentrated on airfields in Rhodes and Crete, and Bcaufighters have searched for shipping day am night. Since the beginning of October, MaritZa 'airfield, on the island of Rhodes, has been raided more than a dozen times, and Carlato nearly as often. American bombers have damaged airfields in Crete, as well as main airfields in Greece. Besides smashing u enemy ships in many channels of the Aegean, Allied aircraft have regularly attacked harbour installations on Syros in the effort to disrupt shipping traffic. This parry-and-thrust air battle has been spread over several months, and profit and loss accounts show that a considerable credit- has accumulated for the Middle East forces. The enemy has lost five times as many aircraft as the Allies. More than 150 have been destroyed in the air and many damage; and a considerable number has been destroyed on the ground. Today’s Middle East communique says that remaining land patrols have been successfully withdrawn from Kos, in the Dodecanese, having completed their task.