Enemy Fighters Beaten In Big Aerial Battle

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 160, 8 July 1943, Page 5

Enemy Fighters Beaten In Big Aerial Battle

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 6. On Monday there was another ox* tremely heavy onslaught on Italian aerodromes. A correspondent at North African headquarters says that the attacks on the Italian airfields reached a climax in a battle over Garbini, in Sicily, where 100 Messerschmitts and Fockewulfs swept down on a formation of 30 Fortresses. The attack was delivered with extreme ferocity and skill and the German pilots used everything to break up the bomber formation but failed and 30 fighters were shot down.

Meantime the Fortresses pressed home their attack on Garbini aero drome, causing much destruction, fires and explosions. The bitter action against the main body of Fortresses appeared to have exhausted the enemy fighters and the subsequent waves of bombers dispatched to complete the destruction found never more than ten enemy fighters in the air. Of the planes destroyed, the highest individual reeord was achieved by a staff sergeant, who shot down sevon. Threo Fortresses were lost.

Meanwhile, also in daylight, over 60 Liberators from the Middle East, flying in threo waves, struck the ferry terminal at Messina where, according to a Cairo message, over 150 tons of bomba were dropped, causing extensive damage.

The bombs landed on the whole length of the railway tracks and an explosion on the aerodrome was followed by lire. Other large fires were seen in the central station, the engine sheds, a large warehouse and the rolling stock maintenance yards. Hits also were scored on the marshalling yards, and railway oil tanks and barracks. One string of bombs fell across the Lazarretto mole. A dense smoke cloud rising from the target area made pinpointing difficult, but the entire area was well covered with bursts, fires and explosions. A formation of enemy fighters attacked the Africa bombers and three lighters were destroyed and five damaged. All the United States aircraft returned.

According to Air Headquarters at Malta five enemy fighters were destroy ed by Spitfires giving cover to the American bombers. The raid went or at regular intervals all day and the Spitfires could see its good effect. In one raid Spitfires attacked three times their number of enemy fighter* and. destroyed three.