Work of Air Forces in Abyssinia

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 186, 7 August 1941, Page 6

Work of Air Forces in Abyssinia

Valuable Part in Campaign for Victory 106 ENEMY AIRCRAFT DESTROYED (British Official Wireless.) Received Wednesday, 0.20 p.m. RUGBY, Aug. 6. Details of the Empire uud Allied air forces’ activities in the Abyssinian campaign show that the Free French forces co-operated with squadrons of the South African and Rhodesian Air Forces as well as the R.A.F. in the widespread operations which culminated successfully in fretrug the territory ironi the Itulian yoke. Amongst the diverse aircraft used —they ranged from Hartbeestes to Hurricanes—were several German-built machines—Ju.-86's flown by the S.A.A.F. In all the Allied strength varied between 160 and 100 aircraft while the enemy strength is believed never to have exceeded 220 at one time of which 140 were bomber* and 70 fighters. It is calculated thal up to July 17 some 306 enemy aircraft were destroyed at a cost of 344 to the Allies. Six squadrons of Allied bombers to that date had ruided 121 different target areas in over 630 separate attacks. Ingenious camouflage by the Italians was a noticeable feature of the campaign, but the Allied reconnaissance aircraft seem readily to have spotted the attempted deception which included the creation of artificial dust storms by running the airscrews of unserviceable aircraft placed on the edges of aerodromes. The Allied operations were carried out from Aden, Hudan and Kenya, and gradually attained intensity until in August, 1940, the three-pronged attack by the R.A.F., the Rhodesian Air Fore# and the South African Air Force covered points from Massawa to Kisinmta and from Mogadiscio to Gondar. In September, 3940, in the Gondar region a successful taid destroyed a large ammunition dump amongst other successes. With the invasion of Abyssinia the air forces operated iu close co-operation with the troops and from February, 1943, onwards, were more directly concerned with the support of the grouud forces. In March and April SwordlLh aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm joined the R.A.F. in an attack on five destroyers in the Red Sea, and when the general offensive was accelerated towards the end of April, bombing sorties increased, as many as 223 being made against enemy troop concentrations in a single week. After the Duke of Aosta’s surrender in May the campaign gradually diminished and by June 17 the operations mainly consisted in harassing the remnants of tho Italian forcei in central Abyssinia.