ENEMY LOSSES

Hokitika Guardian, 15 July 1940, Page 5

ENEMY LOSSES

IN BRITISH EIGHTS

TOTAL OF 135 PLANES.

(United Press ’Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

LONDON, July 13

> German bombers and fighters on r Saturday continued their attacks on i shipping lanes and coastal areas. ; Nnie planes abortively attacked a ship lying outside a. Channel port. A divebomber # is believed to have crashed into the sea when hit by a antiaircraft shell. The remaining planes fled across the Channel, pursued by fighters. This week has been costly for the Germans. The Air Ministry says the Germans lost seventy-nine planes between the 4th and 12th July. Great Britain lost fifty-six planes in that period. The Air Ministry figures are confined to German planes whose fate was undeniably proved. Scores of others, were badly cripplied, and are unlikely to have reached home. The Air Ministry says the Germans. are - consistently manipulating their communiques to produce an imaginary ratio in losses of 5 to 1 in their 'own favour. • , The ’ Air Ministry has announced that an enemy bomber was shot down this morning in. the Engish Channel by R.A.F- Fighters. ”, » GERMAN AIR LOSSES. - ; (Per British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 13. The following comment on a German High Command, communique is made in authoritative quarters in London: “German High Command communiques are systematically minimising German air losses. To-day’s communique, for instance, puts the number of German machines brought round .the- British shores on Friday at about half the actual losSs. i : The German losses' were eleven bombers at a tost of two British fighters;' Againy the communique,' while fabricating a new claim for the British losses announced on Friday, avoids mentioning the liumber of German, losses on Thursday, •which was '23 piachines,' as against four British fighters' lost in -action.” I;: ’ : : J ; RHINELAND DTSMAY. i. • > ! * OVER* BRITISH RAIDS. • ANKaRA, July 13. Travellers 'from Germany report traffic, in some-parts in the Rhine-j land wa,s virtually been brought to a l standstill by R.A.F. raids, and that' the population are incieasingly dis- - mayed by the discovery pfi their-vul-nerability. A recent order’ issued by ; the Gestapo forbidding Germans to , disclose the results of British raids by telephone or post is having the ' ; opposite effect to tliat intended, since whispered' reports tend to become exaggerated. '' • ' ' |i .3 : RUGBY, July 13. An Airt 1 Ministry communique states: “.Members of the R.A.F. On Friday night continued attacks on objectives ] in Germany in spite ofJ adverse wea- | ( tlier conditions.' Naval bases; at Em- ] den and Kiel were again attacked. Damage was caused, and many fires I , were started.

“Daylight attacks on Saturday have been carried out by our bombers on the aerodrome, at Brussels; on objectives at Monheim in the- Rhineland; and oh concentrations and barges on the Bruges-Ostend canal. All our aircraft returned safelv.”