AIR WAR OVER GREECE

Evening Star, Issue 23865, 21 April 1941, Page 7

AIR WAR OVER GREECE

TEN NAZI PLANES DOWNED BRITISH FIGHTERS’ FEATS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 20. (Received April 21, at 11 a.m.) The operations in Greece last Friday, in which 10 German aircraft were destroyed and many others seriously damaged, are described by the Air Ministry News Service. Fighter pilots of the R.A.F. sought out and destroyed enemy aircraft in a number of offensive patrols. One Hurricane squadron ran into 10 Junkers 87’s, escorted'by a large formation of Messerschmitt 109’s. Against odds of something like four to one the British fighters went into battle. When a bullet-scarred but still at full strength squadron returned to its base a young pilot-officer gave a brief description of his part in the encounter: “ We arrived, over the Pharsala area to find a lot of German fighters escorting Junkers 87’s, which wore dive-bombing an Army convoy. One seemed intent on his dive, hut when I got on his tail he altered bis mind and tried to slip away. My first burst set him on tire. The German air gunner opened fire on me, but I got in another burst. After that the bomber dived straight to earth and crashed on the hillside. The next instant I caught sight of another Junkers- 87 and got underneath and fired into his radiator. Mv second burst from astern sent the bomber nose down, and there was black smoke pouring from his engine.” ENEMY CONVOY ATTACKED TWO SUPPLY SHIPS LEFT SINKING (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 18. One enemy supply ship of 7,000 tons was burning fiercely at the stern and another of J,OOU tons of the same type was left sinking rapidly and emitting clouds of black smoke after Coastal Command Blenheims attacked a convoy off the Norwegian coast on Friday. One of the ships was attacked from a height of only 50ft. Four heavy bombs hit it amidships, and there was a large explosion. The ship was listing to starboard and sinking fast as the aircraft left. The other supply ship, of about 7,000 tons, was attacked by a Blenheim, and it was immediately seen that the stern was on fire. GERMAN DIVE BOMBERS ATTACKED BY R.A.F. (British Official Wireless:) RUGBY, April 20. (Received April 21, at 11.15 a.m.) An R.A.F. communique states: In Greece there has been considerable successful R.A.F. activity. German divebombers, escorted by fighters, attempting to attack our ground troops at various points and shipping at Khalkis, were intercepted by our fighter patrols. During the day, without lose to themselves, our fighters shot down three JU 87’s, two JU 88’s, four ME 109’s, and one H 120, and severely damaged many others. Yesterday several other S 79’s were seriously damaged by our fighters over Melos.