NIGHT FIGHTERS’ SUCCESS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23302, 12 April 1941, Page 10

NIGHT FIGHTERS’ SUCCESS

33 Raiders Brought Down HEAVY ENEMY ATTACKS (Received April 11. 11 p.m.) (U.P.A.i LONDON, April 11. Last night 10 German raiders were shot dewn by Royal Air Force night fighters, making a total of 33 in four nights, which is easily (he biggest bag of the war Altogether the enemy lost 38 raiders in the four nights. The enemy again made concentrated raids on Coventry and Birmingham last night. An Air Ministry communique says that the enemy attacked in considerable numbers. The main weight of the attack was on the West Midlands, where considerable damage was done and casualties are thought to be heavy. Attacks were also made on the Ea t st Midlands, places near the south coast, and in many other areas, but casualties were not heavy except in the West Midlands. Further successes by Royal Air Force night fighters are reported in an Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique dealing with the raids over Britain on Wednesday night. The communique states: “Attacks by enemy aircraft were directed mainly against Birmingham and districts in the north-east of England. The number of casualties in these attacks is not yet known, and may prove to be heavy. The damage was considerable in both areas. “Bombs were also dropped on a town in the west of England, at places on the east and south-east coasts, and at many other widely separated points. At some of these places there were small numbers of- casualties. Eleven enemy aircraft were destroyed by our fighters during the night, making one of the best night totals of the war.” Damage to Birmingham Relays of raiders heavily attacked Birmingham on Wednesday night. High-explosives and fire bombs damaged or wrecked numerous business premises and houses. Several arsons were killed and others trapped in ruined buildings. The attack, which continued for some hours, is described as the heaviest yet made on Birmingham. A tunnel used as a shelter received a direct hit, and a number of persons were trapped in it. A north-east coast town also had its worst raid, lasting several hours. Many high-explosives and incendiaries were dropped. A number of fires were started,, but were quickly brought under control, High-explosives demolished' a number of houses. Nine persons were killed. Two other towns in the north-east coast area were raided and property was damaged. An East . Anglian town was also heavily attacked. For several hours waves of bombers showered first firebombs and then high-explosives. “It is now known that three more enemy bombers were shot down by anti-aircraft fire on Tuesday night, making a total of 10 destroyed by our defences that night,” says an Air Ministry communique. “On Wednesday night anti-aircraft fire destroyed one enemy bomber, making 11 in all shot down during the night. From all these operations eight British aircraft are missing.” An Air Ministry communique says: “Two enemy aircraft were shot down over this country during daylight on Thursday. One, a fighter, was brought down over. Kent in the afternoon. The other, a bomber, was shot down into the sea off the Northumberland coast by our fighters just before dark. One of our fighters is missing from patrol. ’ A 5 later communique says: “Enemy aircraft were fairly active in the Straits and the English Channel on Thursday. Some flew inland, but there were no reports of any bombs dropped.” It is learned in' London that among the aircraft of the Fighter Command now taking part in flight operations IS the Douglas DB7, known as the Havoc. It is a twin-engined light bomber and is easily manoeuvrable. It is an all-metal mid-wing aeroplane capable of 380 miles an hour, and has a crew of three. It is equipped with two or four fixed forward guns in the nose.. OCCUPATION OF ADDIS ABABA ABYSSINIAN FLAG HOISTED CAPTURE OF MASSAWA (Received April 11, 10 p.m.) (U.P.A.) LONDON, April 11. Remarkable scenes marked the British occupation of Addis Ababa. As the Ethiopian flag was ceremonially hoisted over the old Parliament House on the afternoon of April 6, an Abyssinian Ras kissed the boots of the British, commander, The sight of the flag brought a murmur from the crowds below, which spread until the whole city was cheering. Before the hoisting of a flag the British commander addressed the Abyssinian leaders 1 and Somali chifefs and appealed to them to keep order in and outside the town. T* 3y promised to do so, amid tumultuous cheers. A proclamation, signed by the Emperor Haile Selassie in the heart of the Gojjaxn mountains on March 17 was then read. It empowered the British leaders, in consultation with the Abyssinian leaders, to issue notices relating to the prosecution of the war. A Royal Air Force Middle East communique states: “It is now confirmed that when our troops entered Addis Ababa, the remains of 31 enemy aircraft were discovered, in a wrecked or damaged condition, on .the aerodrome. Fourteen, including five fighters, were burnt out. Nine, including three fighters, had been damaged by machine-gun fire, and there were in addition the fuselages and the crashed remains of eight others.” Before leaving Addis Ababa, the Italians burnt 800,000,000 lire to prevent them falling into the hands of the British. The Italians have lost 64 aeroplanes since the British advance from Diredawa, including 25 lost at Addis Ababa on April 5, and 17 at Dessie on April 6. The Nigerians who crossed Awash river are hotly pursuing the remnants of Italian forces who are cut off in the Hadama region. The Italian farces driven into the Arussi mountains have only the faintest hope of rejoining the Duke of Aosta in the north. Haile Selassie’s army, 100 miles north-west of Addis Ababa, is forcing back the depleted Italian battalions to the Blue Nile. The Black Shirts are thus caught between two columns. The final battle for the port of Massawa, in Eritrea, began at 1 p.m. on April 8, after an 18 hours’ truce to enable the Italians to consider the British surrender terms. The truce ended when the Italian admiral commanding the port announced his decision, believed to have been dictated from Rome, to defend the port to the last. This decision was conveyed by a staff officer who was brought blindfolded to British headquarters. An exchange of gunfire announced the beginning of the final battle, shortly after which the Royal Air Force bombed the Italian positions. The Italians did not attempt to defend the road winding across the mountains from Asmara, and therefore could not hope to hold Massawa, in spite of their heavy shore guns which faced Inland. A force of the French

Legion formed the spearhead of the assault. Reporting on the capture of Massawa, a Reuter correspondent says that the port was taken by Imperial and Free French troops. The defenders gave up their futile resistance to the Allied advance, and the end came when the white flag was raised. A communique issued in Nairobi says that Indian troops took part in the capture of Addis Ababa. Important stocks of arms and materials of all kinds were captured. The large number of prisoners includes two complete Black Shirt battalions, more than 60 pilots, and 1000 air force ground personnel. „ • A message from Cape Town says that 7500 Italian prisoners, the first batch of a total of 20,000, have arrived at a South African port. They are mostly youths in poor physical condition, with uniforms tattered. Some are barefooted, others have shoes made from blankets. The majority were captured by the Army of the Nile. They include some veterans from the Abyssinian and Spanish wars. |