DAUNTLESS MALTA

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 172, 17 April 1942, Page 5

DAUNTLESS MALTA

Germans Forced To Change

Their Tactics CAIRO, April 15. “The only way to get Malta down is to sink it,” said Sir Walter Moncktou, Acting Minister of .State in the Middle East, after a visit to the island fortressl. “Malta is getting a packet, but is hitting back continuously. Our defences have forced the Germans to change their taeties. Formerly they raided all day and all night, but that has been too expensive, and they now concentrate o.n big blitzes. We have undoubtedly got our tails up. ‘The Maltese are first-class. They work on the aerodromes during the raids, and it is no small jt-b filling tip live or fix big bomb craters between dusk and dawu so that aircraft cau use the landing grounds. “The Germans carry out day bombing, and the Italians come at night time, but often turn back after sighting the island.” Loudon reports that three MelOO’s were shot down over Malta on Tuesday and a Br” 0 destroyed at dusk on Monday. From all operations, one of our aircraft is missing, but the pilot if safe.

Of two daylight raids by the Luftwaffe on Monday, the first developed in the middle of the morning, when the enemy came over in waves and bombed the aerodromes and the harbou r.

Some “hours later there was a second raid. There were civilian casualties, and damage in scattered localities. Au R.A.F. night fighter chased an Italian bomber to within ten miles of the coast of Sicily before destroying it. During the raid anti-aircraft guns shot down one Messerschmitt and damaged another Messerschmitt and three Junkers, and R.A.F. lighters shot down one Messerschmitt.