NAZI AIR LOSSES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20864, 17 August 1942, Page 3

NAZI AIR LOSSES

AERODROME RAIDED 56 MACHINES DESTROYED RED AIR FORCE SUCCESS (10 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 16. The destruction of about 5i German bombers and fighters during one raid on an enemy aerodrome in the Kletskaya area is announced by the Moscow radio. “During the last two days, the enemy again attempted to drive wedges into our defence positions and reach the Don,” it was stated. “These enemy operations were supported by large Luftwaffe forces which came from two large front-line aerodromes. Our planes had the task of destroying these two aerodromes. “At dawn, a large group of Soviet Stormoviks attacked one enemy aerodrome on which there were about 120 German planes. The Germans were just preparing for a new action, biu our planes took them by surprise. During the first dive attack many bombs were dropped and our planes machine-gunned an enemy aerodrome. Many fires broke out. Our planes repeated the attack, but this time the enemy anti-aircraft batteries opened a terrific fire. "Soviet fighter planes escorting the Stormoviks attacked the enemy batteries, silencing several units and killing the crews by machine-gun fire. The second attack was as successful as the first. According to preliminary figures, about 40 German bombers and fighter planes were destroyed or set on fire and a further 11 shot down in aerial combat.”