AERIAL COMBATS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24370, 4 September 1942, Page 3

AERIAL COMBATS

STTJKAS AND FIGHTERS NUMBER OF BOMBING RAIDS LONDON, Sept. 3 Medium bombers last night attacked targets in the battle area, and, with heavy bombers, raided Tobruk, reports to-day's Cairo communique. During yesterday, a record number of bomber sortie's was carried out by Allied aircraft, and satisfactory results are reported. The enemy were also active, and in engagements over the battle area our fighters shot down six Stukas and nine fighters. A direct hit was claimed by a Royal Air Force torpedo-carrying aircraft on an enemy merchant vessel which was attacked off the Cyrenaica coast. Yesterday our long-range fighters successfully attacked other enemy vessels. Last night our medium bombers attacked targets in the battle area, and at El Daba results were particularly satisfactory. Describing yesterday's big Allied air offensive, a correspondent says American fighters took part and carried out the largest number of sorties they have made since they arrived in Egypt. All day long, Americans flew with our men, escorting bombers, which hammered Axis concentrations. Many of the Americans were having their first experience of aerial warfare. In spite of dust, on Tuesday, Allied light bombers kept up strong and persistent attacks against the enemy forces in the battle area, and transport in their immediate rear, while fighters successfully attacked several large formations of Stukas, which were heavily escorted by enemy fighters. Soon after dawn, the first of the bomber formations joined up with its fighter escort and carried off the first load of bombs, which fell in concentrated pattern among the enemy land forces and transport vehicles' not long after the Axis troops had extinguished the fires started by our night bombers. By noon, seven separate bomber raids had been made on the enemy. These highly successful attacks by light bombers, with fighter escort, bad begun to reach an intensity comparable with that in the earlier campaign around "Knightsbridge. The evidence shows that considerable damage was done to the enemy ground forces. The first big clash came in the afternoon, when several of our squadrons patrolling over the battle area encountered four Mossersehmitts, all of which were probably destroyed or damaged. A few minutes later our fighters sighted a formation of at least JO Stukas escorted by over 30 fighters. Within two minutes the whole formation was in retreat without achieving any dive-bombing. Four Stukas and one Messerschrnitt were spfn crashing in flames, and several others were probably destroyed or damaged. Enemy casualties for the day were six bombers and five fighters. Our casualties were 11 planes, but four of the pilots are safe.

AMERICANS OVERSEAS (Heed. 8.10 p.m.) CINCINNATI, Sept. Already 500,000 American fightin; men are on duty outside the Unite< Stales, said the Assistant-Secretary o War, Mr. McCloy.