MEDITERRANEAN AREA

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 October 1942, Page 5

MEDITERRANEAN AREA

MALTA’S EASIER DAY AXIS PLANE LOSSES LONDON, October 19. The Axis air assault on Malta yesterday tailed off to a few hit and run attacks. Until the late afternoon only a few fighters and fighterbombers had approached the island. The total number of enemy aircraft shot down is now 115, the total to yesterday being 114 and not 140 as previously reported. One wing of British Malta fighters has shot down 51 enemy aircraft in nine days. Sunday’s Middle East communique said: “The enemy continued attacks against Malta on Friday night and throughout Saturday. Hostile bombers were accompanied by increased fighter escorts. Eight enemy aircraft were shot down by our fighters. Antiaircraft fire damaged others. From these and other operations three or our aircraft are missing. The pilot of one is safe but injured.” . A further £lBOO has been contributed to the Malta Defence Fund by men of the Home Fleet. The Com-mander-in-Chief (Admiral Tovey) said that the gift was a tribute to the people of Malta for their rugged and indomitable courage.

SANDSTORMS IN EGYPT LONDON, October 19. Land operations in Egypt have been held up for two days by sandstorms, stated to be the worst since the beginning of the campaign, ac cording to Monday’s Cairo communique. Long range fighters, in spite ol the bad weather, attacked enemy transport columns moving up to the battle area along the Sidi BarramSollum road. LATEST OPERATIONS RUGBY, October 19. Cairo Headquarters states: On land there was some patrol and artilleiy activity yesterday. Air activity over the battle aiea was on a small scale, but our longrange fighters successfully attacked targets on the coastal road. On the night of October 17/18, our torpedo-carrying aircraft attacked an enemy merchant ship which was listing and beached near the coast of Tripolitania, following a previous attack on the night of October 14/15. Air activity around Malta continued, although the enemy inflicted very little damage. Our long-range fighters on offensive patrol over Sicily shot down one Heinkel 111 while fighters inland destroyed two Messerschmitt 109’s. We lost'one aircraft in these operations. One pilot is safe. ONE IN THIRTEEN LOST RUGBY, October 19. In the week ended October 17, the enemy lost 114 aircraft in the assault of Malta, for the British loss of 27 Spitfires, with 14 pilots saved. The enemy made some 1400 sorties against the island, therefore approximately one hostile aircraft in 13, which set out from Sicily, failed to return. This takes no account of the scores of others so crippled, that they had little hopes of getting home. Never before had our pilots destroyed so many of the enemy in the one week around Malta. GERMAN ALLEGATION LONDON, October 19. The Berlin'radio stated: “A British destroyer in the Mediterranean attacked a clearly marked German Red Cross aeroplane from Africa, containing 16 wounded, thus again injuring the wounded and setting fire to the aeroplane. When the aeroplane attempted to regain'its base a d' 'strove? instructed two British aeroplanes to attack it. The wounded were consequently injured for a third time.” ,