AIR OFFENSIVE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 207, 2 August 1941, Page 7

AIR OFFENSIVE

CHANNEL TO SICILY. OPERATIONS IN AFRICA. (United Press Association —Copyright.) (Rec 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY, Aug 1. , In daylight to-day Blenheim aircraft of ihe Bomber Command, escorted by fighters, attacked enemy vessels in convoy off the Belgian coast, states an Air Ministry communique.

Bombs were seen to straddle two ships in the convoy and later in the day a ship of about 2000 tons was seen to be burning and in a sinking condition. Two bombers and one tighter aro missing.

A .Ministry of Home Security communique states that a few bombs which arc reported to have lwen dropped in the east and south-west of England caused neither damage nor casualties. One enemy aircraft was destroyed during the night. To-day's German communique claims that the ports of Great Yarmouth and Plymouth were attacked last night. It is, however, authoritatively stated that actually not a single bomb wa.s dropped within 40 miles of these places. Very few enemy aircraft were reported and 1 there was not a single casualty. The I only damage was the severance of a i few telephone wires.—Official Wireless. Win.g-Comma.nder Whitney Straight, an American-horn Hurricane pilot, was: shot dowii in a ''dogfight", over the jChannel today. He is believed by his; I fellow pilots to have made a forced j j landing in France. j An official communique states that; 1 apart from one aircraft which made a i | brief landfall on the South Coast no I j enemy activity over this country had; j been reported up to 8 p.m. to-day. >io j bombs were dropped. A Middle East 11.A.F. communique states that heavy bombers attacked the harbour of Benghazi during Wednesday night and caused several fires, one of which was visible 50 miles away. Other aircraft bombed Ga/.ala and liarI dia, .where a series of explosions was I observed among military huts. ,\t Zuara. in Tripolitania, our air- ! craft machine-gunned a number of! S7i)'s on the ground yesterday ; de- j stroying one by fire and damaging a number of others. Bomber aircraft successfully attack-1 ed shipping in the harbour of Messina (Sicily) yesterday. From these; operations all our aircraft returned safely. BALANCE OF LOSSES.

All examination of the published figures of Axis aircraft losses in operations against Britain during the first seven months of 194] shows that more than 2500 have been destroyed over Britain alone. The iigures ior July, as far as can Ije ascertained at present, show that 133 enemy planes have been destroyed in all theatres of war for the loss' of 308 British machines. The gradual increase in R.A.F. losses during the year is an indication of the growth of the British offensive both by day and night against the enemy. Despite the fact, however. that the R.A.F. has been fighting more and more over enemy territory as the year has advanced, the average rate of destruction of Axis planes has been well maintained. British losses, though steadily growing with the increased violence of the R.A.F. attack, are not comparable with the rate of destruction inflicted on the Germans when during the Battle of Britain last autumn they were carrying out similar tactics.—Olfi-j cial Wireless.