THE BIGGEST YET.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 310, 11 October 1943, Page 4

THE BIGGEST YET.

RAIDS ON GREECE AND CRETEHEAVY TOLL ON THE ENEMY. (Rec. 12.55 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 10. A correspondent says that the air offensive in the Middle East yesterday against targets in Greece and Crete was the biggest yet undertaken. Five important airfields were attacked, many grounded enemy aircraft beings destroyed, runways blown up, hangars burned dOAvn and dumps of fuel and ammunition set on fire. Flying Fortresses, making their first raid on Greece from bases in North-west Africa, attacked the airfields at Salonika and Argos, an airfield near Athens and an airfield 107 miles northwest of Athens. In the afternoon the Flying Fortresses were folloAved by Liberators, which gave a second pounding. All our aircraft returned from these attacks. Over the sea near Rhodes Lightning long-range fighters'took heavy toll of a large number of Stukas. They destroyed 15 of the dive-bombers and one Junkers 88. Last night Middle East bombers attacked enemy shipping, in the Kos area (Dodecanese), leaving a mediumsized vessel smoking after a direct hit. In 24 hours’ operations 22 enemy aircraft were destroyed. One of ours is missing.—British Official Wireless. British and American bombers struck against Germany and Germanoccupied Europe from east and Avest during the week-end. x Communiques from Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force headquarters reveal that planes from England and North Africa have been clawing (lie most distant and bestprotected corners of Hitler’s Europe, reaching the lair of the German Fleet and destroying vital factories, in addition to Avinning a significant victory over the Luftwaffe. Flying Fortresses, making a daylight raid on East Prussia and Poland in the rear of the German armies facing Russia, carried out most spectacular raids, making round flights of 1700 miles to Marienburg and of 1600 miles; to Gdynia. The aeronautical writer of the British United Press, says that alloAving for a large margin of misses at Gdynia, owing to the smoke-screen, it is likely that several warships Avere heavily damaged. One pilot reported seeing ships leaving Gdynia when the bombers arrived, and added “They didn’t get far.”