AERIAL BATTLE IN LIBYA

Waikato Times, Volume 130, Issue 21655, 16 February 1942, Page 6

AERIAL BATTLE IN LIBYA

ENEMY FORCE SMASHED ACTIVITY IN THE DESERT (Official Wireless) (Received Feb. 16, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY. Feb. 15 A Cairo communique states that yesterday considerable enemy movement of mechanical transport and armoured vehicles was observed east of the general line Tmimi—Mekili. The enemy columns were widely dispersed and did not offer favourable targets to our artillery, but our patrols maintained contact with them and harassed them throughout the day. German and Italian fighters attempted to cover this enemy movement on the ground by low-flying attacks against our troops occunying positions at and south of Gazala. Our fighters, however, surprised and practically wiped out an entire enemy force composed of 30 dive-bombers and fighters. Details of this brilliant air action are given in a Royal Air Force MidEast communique, which states that Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force fighters obtained their greatest individual success in Libya. Engaging a large force of enemy aircraft which was attacking our troops in the Acrorna area, 18 Kittyhawk fighters shot down 20 enemy aircraft without loss to themselves. Not one of the enemy formation escaped damage. The total destroyed was made up of 14 Macchi 200’s, five Messerschmitt 109 F’s and one Breda 65. Elsewhere in the battle area antiaircraft guns shot down a CR42. It is now known that on Friday another CR42 was shot down by anti-aircraft batteries and that on Thursday a Junkers 87 crashed into the sea off Gazala after it had been engaged by our fighters over Tobruk. Naval Aircraft Active Naval aircraft successfully attacked an enemy merchantman in the central Mediterranean on Friday night. The ship was brought to a standstill with black smoke pouring from it. The Sicilian aerodromes of Catania and Ghertini were bombed the same night. Explosions and fires were seen at Catania, but bad visibility obscured the results of the attack on Gherbini.

Enemy aircraft continued to raid Malta yesterday and some damage was caused.

An Admiralty communique states that submarines of the Mediterranean Fleet continue to inflict loss upon the enemy. One large and one med-ium-sized supply ship have definitely been sunk. Another medium-sized supply ship has been torpedoed and it is probable this ship also sank. One of our submarines is reported as having fought a spirited gun action with an enemy armed trawler. The trawler was hit by at least 15 shells and the crew were abandoning the ship w T hen our submarine was forced to dive by fire from enemy shore batteries.