AIR OPERATIONS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 28, 2 January 1942, Page 5

AIR OPERATIONS

POLES IN ACTION

(Rec. 8.5 a.m.) RUGBY, Jan. 1. "Nothing to report" stated the official communique regarding air activity over Britain last night. The Polish Spitfire wing, part of the strong fighter escort for the latest bomber attack on Brest, destroyed seven Me 109's> in a five-minute eom'bat. Detailed to cover the withdrawal of the bombers from the target area, the Poles waited for the enemy and dived from ]3,oooft.

The Polish wing commander said: "The bombers were just coming out when I saw about 25 Me's preparing to attack them, so I ordered the wing to stop their little game. Two squadrons went down with me and the. third remained above. It was a big mix-up, but sc> was the German formation when we had finished with it."

An Air Ministry communique reveals that one more enemy hgnter was destroyed. The increasingly aggressive character of the British air operations is clearly shown iji an account of the work of all commands during 1941, The Bomber Command, using more and bigger bombers, has maintained a relentless offensive, and an outstand-. uig event has beeji the development of the daylight offensive in co-operation with the Fighter Command, 'lhe long immobilisation of the German warships Schariihorst, Gncisenau, and Prinz Eugen provides a typical example of < the value of these attacks.

The offensive of the Fighter Command, which was opened last June on a big scale, has panned down the fighter strength of ttie Luftwaffe when the latter was sorely needed on the Russian front, and from the middle of June to the end of August 500 enemy fighters were destroyed for 250 British. Nearly 200 attacks have been made on marauding U-boats during tlic year by Catalinas. The- review concludes: "In all commands 1941 sees the way prepared tor greater onslaughts against the enemy to be expected in 1942." Official Wireless. RUGBY, Dec. 31. Continued air raids are reported from Malta. On Monday evening enemy aircraft dropped bombs on land. British lighters went up and intercepted them and one bomber was probably shot down by the anti-aircraft dpfences. During the night five alerts were sounded. A small number oi enemy aircraft dropped a few bombs and the anti-aircratt guns were active. Four alerts sounded yesterday and aircraft dropped bombs on land. British fighters destroyed two enemy bombers and probably destroyed another. \ fourth was damaged by fighters and another by anti-aircraft fire. A sixth was also nit altd destroyed.