16 SHOT DOWN

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21365, 8 March 1941, Page 9

16 SHOT DOWN

NAZI PLANES DESTROYED J " J BRITISH FLIERS’ SUCCESS RAID ON MALTA FAILS ! fomcial Wireless) (Received March 8, 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY, March 7 A striking air success in an engagement with Germans over Malta 1 is recorded in the following Royal Air Force Middle East communique: Sixteen enemy aircraft, were shot down during a heavy raid on Malta on March 5. Our fighters accounted for two Ju 88’s, two Ju 887’s, one Do 115 and two Me 119’s. In addition one Me 110 and eight , other enemy aircraft were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire. Several other enemy aircraft were damaged, and it is doubtful whether they managed to return to their base. In this engagement, in which the enemy aircraft numbered over 100, only one Royal Air Force fighter was shot down. Some damage was caused to buildings, but there were no casualties to the Royal Air Force personnel. Bombed and Machine-gunned j In East Africa there was some con- ! siderable air activity by the Royal i Air Force and South African aircraft ; in Eritrea yesterday and the previous ; day, particularly in the Keren area, j Enemy troops, gun positions, motor | transport and other military targets, j such as road junctions and railways, i were bombed and machine-gunned. | A flying-boat moored at Zula was machine-gunned and burnt out. : At Asmara an attack was made on 1 a supply depot ship. On other fronts in Italian East i Africa continued support was given ; to our advancing troops. ! In Albania enemy artillery posi- j tions at Luzati were successfully j bombed by our aircraft. From all these operations our air- j craft returned safely, with the ex- ; ception of the one fighter lost in the I engagement over Malta.

CANADA’S PART GREAT WAR EFFORT GUNS. TANKS, SHIPS UNITY OF EMPIRE (United Press Assn.-—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, March 6 “The British Dominions are able to make a far greater contribution to the common cause in this war than in the last,” said Mr Vincent Massey, High Commissioner for Canada, in a speech at Winchester, states the British official wireless. “The population in 1914 of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the white population of South Africa, was about 15,000,000,” said Mr Massey. “It is now about 22,000,000 The four Dominions have now almost one-third of the white population of the entire Empire.” Speaking of Canada’s part, Mr Massey said: “Agriculture is still our foundation, but the produce of our factories now exceeds in value, even in peacetime, the products of our farms. It was natural, therefore, that Canada should become a formidable arsenal in war. “To the end of last year war contracts were placed in Canada, for your Government and ours, to the value of over 1,100,000,000 dollars. New plants have been built and old ones enlarged, at a cost, to the end of last year, of over 300,000,000 dollars. This expenditure was borne equally by Britain and Canada. About two-thirds of the total industrial capacity of Canada in 1938 is now devoted to war purposes. Every Type of Equipment “We make nearly every type of equipment from Bren guns and bombs to tanks and anti-submarine vessels. We produce 600 war vehicles of all kinds every day. We are making all chemical supplies for the manufacture of explosives. We are now contemplating building destroyers. “Our army in this war, as in the last, is the largest of our services. A Canadian corps is taking part today in the defence of Britain. Two more divisions and numerous other troops are in training in Canada. Our navy within a year will have a per-