RELENTLESS R.A.F.

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 93, 21 April 1941, Page 7

RELENTLESS R.A.F.

WIDESPREAD ATTACKS

HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE ENEMY

AFRICA AND GREECE

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received April 21, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, April 20.

Widespread and prolonged operalions by British bombers and fighters in Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, and Greece are described in a Royal Air Force (Middle East) communique which states that during yesterday and the previous night ihe R.A.F. continued to inflict heavy casualties and damage on enemy personnel and material in Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. Motor' transport vehicles were destroyed in numerous localities, including thp aerodrome at El Adem, Bardia, arid Monastir by bomb and machine-gun attacks. A number of enemy aircraft were bombed and damaged at the Derna aerodrome, and the Berka aerodrome was also raided. Fighters which carried out continuous offensive patrols inflicted heavy casualties on enemy motorised troops, and also machine-gunned the aerodrome at El Gazala, where they de-j stroyed one 579 and damaged a number of CR42's on the ground. Two MElo9's were also shot down over j El Gazala, and one was shot down and several others damaged elsewhere. During the night of April 13-19 R.A.F. bombers raided the harbour at Benghazi and obtained direct hits on a ship and started fires on the moles and quays. On the same nigh I a heavy raid was carried out on the harbour at. Tripoli. About 15 tons of bombs were dropped and several hits registered on the Spanish and West moles, while other bombs straddled shipping at the quays. In Greece yesterday and on the previous day there was considerable and successful R.A.F. activity. German dive-bombers, escorted by fighters, which attempted to attack- Allied ground troops at various points and shipping at Khalkis, were intercepted by British fighter patrols. During the day, without loss to themselves, fight-; ers shot down three JUB7's, two JUBB's. four MElo9's, and one HI2G, and severely damaged many others. Yesterday several other S79's were! seriously damaged over Melos. I In the Dessie area of Abyssinia, enemy positions and motor transport were bombed and machine-gunned, [and direct hits were obtained on forlij ficatlons and military buildings. South African fighters machine-gunned motor transport north of Dessie, causing considerable damage and setting fire to a number of oil tanks.

From all these operations one British fighter is missing.