RAIDED AGAIN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23994, 18 June 1941, Page 8

RAIDED AGAIN

TARGETS IN GERMANY CHANNEL COAST SWEEP QUIET NIGHT IN BRITAIN (Recti. 12.15 a.m.) LONDON, June 'l7 While Monday night was peaceful practically all over Britain, the Royal Air Force again carried on its offensive against the enemy, attacking across the Straits of Dover for many hours and smashing important targets in western Germany. The Air Ministry reports that enemy activity was on a small scale last night. Three enemy aeroplanes were destroyed. A few bombs were dropped, mainly over eastern, western and south-western England. In a few places damage was done and a small number of people were injured. Elsewhere tho damage was slight and no casualties were reported. In the daylight sweep on Boulogne ami the French coast yesterday it is now known that II German aeroplanes, including five of the latest enemy lighters, were shot down. Two of them were shot down by two New Zealand pilots. Six British aeroplanes were lost, but the pilots ol two ot them are sale. One New Zealander was himself shot down after he had destroyed one of_ the latest German fighters. The New Zealander was saved by his one-man dinghy, with which fighter pilots are now equipped. 11l an earlier report the Air Ministry stated that strong Bomber Command forces attacked western Germany on Monday night, .setting lire to and expensively damaging industrial targets lin the Ruhr, Cologne and Hanover, i Kmallei torees attacked the docks at } Dunkirk. Fighter Command airernlt j bombed aerodromes in occupied France. Over HIOO tons of high explosives i and lens of thousands of incendiary bombs were dropped on the Ruhr in j the first three of the lour latest night | raid- by ihe Royal Air Force, says the | Daily Express aeronaut ieal eorresponItlent. "Thus we are implementing the promise that June would see the be- | ginning of a mighty bombing campaign over Germany." Tho commllnit)ue adds that turlher reports show that at Boulogne tho railway station and a large storehouse were hit, by bombs dropped by Coastal Command aircraft. A number of engagements with enemy fighters took place. . Two enemy ships are believed to have j been sunk 'by British aircraft off the j Dutch coast. AIR ACTIVITIES MIDDLE EAST SECTORS LONDON, June 17 Iho Royal Air Force Middle East I communique states that on Sunday fighters of the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force engaged in several combats with enemy aircraft. Three Messerschniitt lOO's and- one Caproni 12 were shot down during the day. South African fighters attacked a i formation of Junkers HS's, strongly esI eortod by fighters, and forced them !lo jettison their bombs betore they j could parry out their attack. British | aircraft also machine-gunned enemy i columns, transport and armoured ! vehicles near Ga/.ala, Capu/./.o and Bardia, and disabled a number of I vehicles. During the night ol June 1-1-15 a ! successful raid was carried out on the i harbour of Benghazi. A particularly violent explosion near the Cathedral mole ' was followed by a fire of such lnagniI tnde that it was visible from a distance I of 90 miles. j It is confirmed that nine unidentified I enemy aircraft were destroyed on tho i ground at Gazala, in addition to two reported in Sunday's communique, and I that two further Messerschniitt 110 s j were shot down in addition to one reported destroyed at Salari.