RENEWED FURY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 96, 24 April 1942, Page 6

RENEWED FURY

ENEMY ATTACKS ON

MALTA

. ; : LONDON,.ApriI 23. The Luftwaffe has resumed its attacks on Malta with renewed fury, but the island's guns and fighter aircraft have taken a heavy toll of the raiders.

A communique states that six Nazi planes were destroyed today and four others damaged in: two heavy raids. Five were shot down out- of the sky by anti-aircraft guns,' while fighter aircraft accounted for another and severely.damaged two others.

In the': first three" days of this week the Axis has lost'2o bombers-and 10 fighters in attacks on the island. Many other' enemy aircraft were severely damaged, and most of them probably did not get back. •

Up. to last night Malta had had 2148 alerts; 453 enemy planes had been shot down for certain during attacks on the island,. 156 had been probably destroyed, and'36s had been damaged.' A British United Press correspondent in Malta says that an Axis air base in Sicily was bombed by the R.A.F. last night. ■ Six enemy bombers Were destroyed and four- damaged. A tribute to Malta's defence was paid by a member of a Junkers 88 bomber, broadcasting on the German radio. He said Malta was one huge battery of anti-aircraft guns. The shells came up. like a thunderstorm of steel. When the guns ceased Spitfires and Hurricanes hung on the tails of the German dive-bombers.