AIR FORCES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 302, 22 December 1941, Page 5

AIR FORCES

R.A.F. BATTER AXIS

Striking Superiority In Libya Campaign Kriti*h omrai \Vre]c>3. Rec. 2 p.m. RUGBY, Dec. 21. The striking superiority of the ( {:: • , over the Axis air forces in Wa is reflected in the figures of comparative losses from dawn on December 14 to dawn on December 21. While the R.A.F. losses numbered 31. the Axis losses, reached a total of 211. The figures include 143 found destroyed or aban- ' doned at various aerodromes, eight shot down by ground forces and 40 announced by the army as found de- A stroved on Derna airfield. , 5 » ] The Axis losses over Britain and < Europe for the same period totalled C 11. compared with 14 R.A.F. planes, t The Admiralty announces that two f „ x . ,f 5 aircraft were destroved for no c British losses. i 4

Fighter and bomber activity by British air forces in the Libyan campaign achieved a new intensity on one occasion recently, states the Air Ministry news service. A large formation of our fighters discovered a column of enemy motor transport nearly ]0 miles long and strafed it from one end to *ne other. Remnants of the shattered convoy hastily dispersed. but within an hour bom tiers joined the fighters and the enemy was alternately bombed and machine-gunned. This went on at intervals of less than an hour throughout the day and the last of our aircraft returned after dark.

Elsewhere in Libya our fighters attacked a landing field just as enemy fighters were taking the air One enemy aircraft was shot down instantly and at least two others were damaged. Our air superiority is such that our fighters have ranged far into the west of Libva in search of combat.

While comparative figures are not available from the Far East, revised figures for the opening days of the Pacific war and announcements this T^ e ?u kyßjitish, United States and Uutch official sources give the number of Axis planes destroyed in the past two weeks as'l4S. "