AIR SUCCESSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24142, 8 December 1941, Page 8

AIR SUCCESSES

BATTLES OYER LIBYA ENEMY LOSES 40 PLANES RAIDS ON TROOPS THWARTED (Reed. 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 6 Further air successes in the Libyan battle are announced in today's Royal Air Force communique from the Middle East. "In spite of dust storms, which seriously curtailed bombing operations our fighter aircraft were successfully in action over the battle area," it states. "Seventeen Junkers 87's, two Messersehmitt 109's, one GSO and one Macchi 200 were shot down. Many other aircraft were severely damaged. "Elsewhere enemy motor transport, and positions along the Trigli-Capuzzo road were effectively bombed. In the Central Mediterranean our aircraft encountered a CR 30, which was shot down into the sea. From these and other operations six of our aircraft are missing.

"A squadron of Beaufighters which was reported a few days ago to have accounted for 38 enemy aeroplanes during the first eight days of the Libyan battle has increased its bag to well over 50 aeroplanes for the first fortnight of the battle." Enemy attempts to bomb and machine-gun British troops from the air were most effectively broken up by the Air Force on several occasions. The land forces were able to contribute by shooting down no fewer than five enemy dive-bombers during the day.

British losses of four aircraft against 13 by the Axis were recorded in an earlier communique. "Two main fighter combats occurred over the battle, in the course of which our aircraft destroyed five Junkers 87's, one Messerschmitt 109, three G 50's and four Maachi 202'5," it stated.

"Tugs on ferry service between Italy and Sicily were machine-gunned by our bombers yesterday. The railway siding at San Giovani, in Sicily, was attacked and 10 of 54 petrol tankers were burned out.

BRITISH UNITS* PART

MORE INFORMATION SOUGHT TROOPS IN THE MAJORITY (Reed. 5.55 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 6 The Manchester Guardian, in a leading article, recalls the German propagandist charge that Britain fought in Crete to the last New Zealander and Australian, and Mr. Churchill's statement that he had asked the War Office to name British regiments more often. The newspaper refers to Field-Marshal Smuts' account of the South Africans' stand in Libya, and Major-General B. 0. Freyberg's statements that the New Zealand casualties have been severe, but adds: "The War Office has told us nothing. Correspondents have referred to an English county regiment or a Highland regiment, but this is surely not what Mr. Churchill meant."

The naming of the Dominion troops participating in the Libyan campaign seems to have led to a misunderstanding regarding the composition of the forces, says the Associated Press of Great Britain. Although nothing definite can be disclosed about the relative strengths of the United Kingdom, Dominion and Indian forces, it is safe to assume that the number of United Kingdom troops is greater than that of all others. MAORI BAYONETS BAD DREAM FOR NAZIS (Reel 10 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 6 When the New Zealanders made their famous bayonet charge at Solium they destroyed an enormous amount of German material, states an agency correspondent with the Eighth Army quoted by the British official wireless. The correspondent says that ever since they met them in Greece and Crete the New Zealanders, and especially the Maoris, have been a bad dream for the Germans.

For the attack on the Solium barracks the Maoris rushed forward with bayonets against very heavy enemy fire, which was maintained until the Maoris were actually upon them. The Germans then surrendered. They had been driven from most valuable* high ground. Casualties among the Maoris were reasonably light. UNIMPRESSIVE RESULTS GERMAN COMMERCE RAIDERS "NO MYSTERY ABOUT SYDNEY" LONDON, Dec. 7 Forty-one enemy oommerce raiders have sunk no more than from 60 to 65 British and Allied merchant ships in 27 months of war, said the naval commentator, Mr. H, C. Ferraby. The Australian cruiser Sydney, Mr. Ferraby added, fell a victim*to remarkably good gunnery. There was no mystery about the Sydney, as had been suggested by sensation-mongers in London. Illustrating the high standard of German naval gunnery, the commentator said he bad recently received through a neutral source the notes of a German, lieutenant who was on board tho battleship Bismarck when the British battle-cruiser Hood was sunk. The reference to the Hood action was: 4.57, Bismarck opened fire; 4.58, Hood hit; 5.02, Hood blew up and sank. The range was 23,000 yards and it was the first salvo from the Bismarck.