FIGHTER SWEEPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25175, 16 March 1943, Page 3

FIGHTER SWEEPS

AIRFIELDS ATTACKED TARGETS IN MANY AREAS (Rec. 7 p.m.) RUGBY, Mar. 14. A Fighter Command communique reports attacks by Whirlwind fighterbombers on enemy airfields in France and sweeps by Spitfires over occupied territory to-day. Whirlwinds, escorted by Spitfires, attacked a German fighter airfield at Maupertus, in the Cherbourg Peninsula, and that at Abbeville early in the evening. The first of these operations, the attack on the Cherbourg airfield, was carried out in two waves, one formation of Whirlwinds being escorted by Czech Spitfire pilots and the other by British squadrons. Not a single enemy fighter rose to intercept the fighters as they swept over, and all the aircraft returned safely to report that with uninterrupted bombing runs, bursts were seen on the dispersal areas and on the perimeter track and on the centre airfield.

Belgian and Australian pilots, as well as British, took part in the Abbeville attack —reported as very successful— while the Cherbourg sweep wai carried out by British and righting French squadrons of Whirlwinds, which dived from 13,000 to 7000 feet and again had unhampered bombing. Two F.W. 190’s were destroyed by French pilots, and others were damaged.

Earlier in the afternoon, the fighter wing, sweeping the Fecamp area, saw an enemy aircraft making vapour trails a few miles away, but in this case the enemy could not be enticed to fight. Fighters also swept Abbeville and the St. Omer areas and the coast of Belgium from the Dutch border to Bnocke. All returned, and they reported that they saw no enemy aircraft and no flak. From the day’s operations four of our machines are missing.