NOT EFFECTIVE

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21417, 10 May 1941, Page 9

NOT EFFECTIVE

IRAK’S AIR FORCE NEARLY ALL DESTROYED SUCCESS OF BOMBINGS (Omcial wireless) (Received May 10, 1 p.m.) RUGBY. May 9 Although the Royal Air -Force does not yet claim to have destroyed all the Irak aircraft it can be taken for grante<i, states the Air Ministry news service, that Rashid Ali’s air arm has ceased to be effective as a fighting force. A senior officer of the R.A.F. in Irak said yesterday: “It is a little early to form a complete picture but it is safe to say that we have practically liquidated what aircraft Irak possessed. They certainly cannot undertake any offensive air action of any value.” The personnel at the flying training school at Habbaniyah put up a magnificent show during the investment and afterwards in pursuing the defeated attackers in the air and on the ground by R.A.F. armoured cars. Air Forcrf Destroyed It was two bombing attacks made yesterday at the Bakuba and Shahnaban landing grounds, north-east of Bagdad, which probably completed the destruction of the Irak force at Basra. Another Air Ministry bulletin records that a very large fire started near Rashid Ali’s air base of Irawuis, about 15 miles south-east of Bagdad, yesterday morning was still burning fiercely in the afternoon. One pilot, who had been on numerous raids over Germany and France declared it was easily the biggest blaze he had seen anywhere. “Something very big and very important” was the official descrintion of the fire. This aerodrome was founded by the R.A.F. and was formerly known as Hanaidi. Thousands of men of the R.A.F. have served there. Refugees fired on All British women and children who were in Bagdad when hostilities began in Irak have now left for India by sea. American-built Douglas troop-carrying aircraft, which had taken reinforcements from India to Habbaniyah, brought a party numbering over 200 to south of Basra from Habbaniyah. The nilot of one said his machine was shot at by Irakis who, at the time, were on the escarpment overlooking the aerodrome at Habbaniyah. “They must have seen us as we were loading up the women,” said the pilot, “and they can have had no doubt as to who were on board.” A Royal Air Force Middle East communique gives fuller details of the successful operations against the Irak rebels at Habbaniyah during the last two days. It is known that in addition to inflicting heavy casualties. our forces which, included R. armoured cars and troops and Irak levies, captured a large quantity of material, including six serviceable howitzers and a number of other guns as well as four armoured The rebel air strength has been made negligible as 25 enemy planes nave been destroyed or put out of action. One of these was shot down by a R.A.F. fighter when it was attempting to L :mb Habbaniyah. Further Bombing Raids Yesterday Irak aerodromes were again successfully bombed. At Sharaban four Irak aircraft were damaged on the ground and at Baquba three rebel planes were destroyed by fire and a number of others damaged, while at Hanaidi (Rashid aerodrome) one Savoia, three Bredas and one other aircraft were machine-gunned. A later raid on the same aerodrome caused a huge blaze which undoubtedly was an oil dump. “There is little of importance to report from the other fronts except that in Abyssinia, the R.A.F., S. and a Free French squadron carried out highly successful raids on enemy positions,” say the communique. “Reconnaissances over the Mediterranean were made by the Free Yugoslavian Air Force. From all these operations two cf our planes are missing.”