WAR IN THE AIR

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 April 1943, Page 5

WAR IN THE AIR

R.A.F. OFFENSIVE.

LONDON, April 7

The Royal Air Force last night laid mines in enemy waters. Two aircraft are missing. German anti-aircraft gunners hit one of their own buildings when a squadron of Canadian Spitfires carried out low-level attacks on railway targets at Dieppe yesterday. The Spitfires attacked signal-boxes and trains, and met with persistent antiaircraft fire. At times, said one of the pilots, it seemed as if the fighters were actually below the gun positions, and shells were coming horizontally at the aircraft. One of the anti-aircraft shells hit the wall of a building, which exploded. It was evidently an ammunition dump. Just before dusk, fighter-bombers, escorted by Typhoons, attacked a steel works at Caen, and others attacked the aerodrome at St. Omer. All the machines returned. There were no German fighters up.

MORE AXIS LOSSES

RUGBY, April 7

A Cairo communique states: American Liberators, without loss, _ attacked Messina Harbour, last night, scoring direct hits on ferry buildings and quays. One enemy fighter was destroyed. Spitfires, this morning, destroyed a JUBB off southern Sicily. Malta’s fighter-bombers attacked Ragusa, southern Sicily.

MOUNTING TOLL

(Red 11.15 a.m.) K LONDON, April 7. A German communique states that the casualties as the result of the Antwerp raid on Monday have increased‘to more than 2000 killed. Photographs confirm that considerable damage was done by Mosquitoes in ths recent raid on Nantes (France) and Ehrang and Trier (Germany), and underline the importance of transportation bombing in the general strategy.

I RAIDS ON ENGLAND.

RUGBY, April 7

No enemy raiders were over Britain last night, but there were two tip-and-run attacks on the south coast (during the day. It is believed that one raider was brought down into Ihe sea. Early this morning, about eight German fighter-bombers attacked a place;on the south coast of England. Two 'others dropped bombs on a placeion the south-east coast. Two of the raiders were destroyed. It is officially stated, that an enemy

bomber was shot down in the Channel by a fighter patrol this morning. LATER.

‘ A third enemy fighter was shot down into the Channel, by fighters this afternoon.