THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 9, 1941.
SHATTERING BLOWS BY R.A.F.
Luftwaffe Loses Thirty-Seven 'Planes In 24 Hours
Only One British Fighter Downed In Hectic Battles
A GERMAN BOMBER WAS SHOT DOWN BY R.A.F. FIGHTERS LAST EVENING AFTER 12 NAZI FIGHTERS HAD BEEN DISPOSED OF IN A SERIES OF THRILLING COMBATS OVER SOUTHERN ENG- LAND EARLIER IN THE DAY FOR THE LOSS OF A SINGLE BRI-
TISH 'PLANE.
These daylight successes followed the destruction of a record number of 24 German bombers in moonlight on Wednesday night.
SPEND WINTER
An Air Ministry communique issued last right stated there had been considerable air activity off the south and south-east coasts and over the east coast during the day.
IN BOATS fighters were shot
Several combats took place between British and German fighters, in which 10 Nazi shot down and one British fighter is missing, though the pilot is safe. Many people at Kris-
Two more enemy fighters were destroyed by tasund have had to anti-aircraft gunfire. No reports were received of spend the winter in fish-any bombs being dropped. Reuter's Air Currespondent ing boats because German writes that the German air force bombers destroyed their lost 24. bumbers
moon Wednesday night to homes last summer, says achieve "extensive" damage in several east and west coast areas. the Norwegian telegraphi
According to Berlin some six agency.
ports were raided.
The correspondent of the "Dockholm Takningen" described] 11. damage by fire there as the n catastrophic known in all
Scandinavian countries.
1
A large number of houses were dyed and damage estimated
L 125.000,000 done.
light
in the
"It will be appreciated. that weather conditions on Wednesday night were very favourable for uter fighter operations. und this without doubt was the most im- portant factor in our success.
Gradual Increase R.A.F. night fighters, it is now learned, accounted for 20
"Although the total on Wed- three over Northern |nesday night is for raiders -
the highest France.
ytk attained, main reason for
11 was their most successful | satisfaction lies in the gradual and night of the war.
consistent increase in casualties Three more feli to A.A. gun-inflicted on the enemy since the Ders and one fouled a balloon early part of the year." barrage,
Many More Damaged
The agency also states that all #mbers of the Norwegian Trust, The Air Ministry, giving these Control Board, which imited the figures, adds "Many other enemy aities of monopolies and con- aircraft were seen to be damaged | tried prices, have been dismiss-and some were almost certainly ct by the Quisling Party.
destroyed.
They have been replaced by Qualings who now hold key posts 4. control of staple commodities con as flour and margarine,
Rr.
Phone 27776
"No figure is given for these aircraft, in accordance with the usual practice of the Air Min. Istry to make no claim the destruction of an aircraft is certain,
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The Air Ministry statement shows clearly the high cost Ger. many is facing in continuing the blitz raiding both in 'planes and trained personnel, It should not be presumed, however,
that even Wednesday night's record "bag," achieved four nights before the full moon. represents even yet 10 per cent. of the raiding force.
Pilots new to night fighting contributed to the night's suc cess, and the Luftwaffe lost at least 100 of its alrmen.
some of
The Anal flights of them were described by victorious
Mr. Churchill and Lt. General A. G. L. McNaughton, Can. adian Corps Commander, absorbed in the study of a large-scale military map at a Canadian Corps Headquarters "somewhere in England." (Copyright, Fox).
CONGRATULATIONS HITLER'S FEAR OF FUTURE
OF THE WAR CABINET
The Air Minister, Sir Archibald Sinclair, has sent the following telegram to Air Mar- shal Douglas, Com- mander-in-Chief of Com- Fighter
the mand:
to
"I am charged by the War Cabinet convey to
you and your squadrons engaged in Wednes- day night's operations their congratulations on their outstanding success."--Reuter.
British airmen last night. ATHENS
THUS, "HE SPIRALLED DOWN IN FLAMES AND EXPLODED ON HITTING THE GROUND."
"IT BURNED IN THE TILL THE FUSELACE ONLY A SKELETON."
"AFTER MAKING A
AIR WAS
PAN.
CAKE LANDING THE BOMBER SANK INTO THE SEA."
Brest Onslaught
PUPPET
ARRESTS
THE CRETAN NEWSPAPERS. COMMENTING YESTERDAY ON REPORTS OF THE ARREST OF MEMBERS OF THE FORMER GREEK GOVERNMENT, DE- CLARES THAT THIS FALSE Meanwhile, the weather in the
ACT BY THE PUPPET GOVERN- north-west corner of France gave MENT OF ATHENS CONSTI- aircraft of the R.A.F. Bomber TUTES NEW PROOF OF ITS Command an opportunity to make TOTAL ENSLAVEMENT TO THE sure of doing effective damage to GERMAN AND ITALIAN the battle-cruisers Scharnhorst AGGRESSORS, "WITH WHOM and Gneisenau at Brest, it was IT IMPOSES TERRORISM ON stated last night.
penetration of the
"Only one person fears the future,
that
is
Hitler," declared the Netherlands Premier in a the Nether- message to lands through the Free Dutch newspaper "Vrij Nederland" in London.
The message, on the anniversary of the invasion of Holland on May 10. says, "Unless Hitler is abso- lutely blind. he will see that the i occupation of the whole of Europe, from from Narvik to Gibraltar, Den Helder to Athens, is not only impossible but intolerable.
"HITLER CAN PLUNDER THE NETHERLANDS,
SEND
OUR AND
PEOPLE TO GERMANY
IGNORE
NATIONAL LAWS, BUT HE CANNOT BREAK THE SPIRIT OF OUR PEOPLE.
"He cannot hinder the Pro- tostant churches from openly condemning the persecution of the Jews or the Roman Catholic Church imposing a veto on Nazi idealogy.
"Let us go forward with united strength."Reuter.
BIG
BERTHAS BLAZE
(SPECIAL TD "CHINA MAIL")
German long-range
THE GREEK PEOPLE.” The attack was made with
The arrests were ordered "in or- deliberation and heavy armourder to divert the attention of the piercing bombs wore used
people, groaning under the foreign which had to be dropped at a yoke, from the responsibilities of. height which would ensure those who, after having betrayed guns on the French coast specially their country, are becoming the blazed forth before dawn Some pilots used an alternative first servants of the enemy, one lashing: the Dover area method of diving rapidly on the newspaper says.--Reuter.
with high explosives in a target so that the speed of the put paid to two of aircraft added momentum to the most formidable Atlantic sea resumption of the brief time. while but vicious shelling of
protected decka,
bomb.
raiders for some
Опе suoh dive was made fighters: at: home from over 10,000 feet and the more of how to whole crew of the aircraft are blitz raiders, confident the Gneisenau, was
hit.
Other crews claimed direct hits on both vessels. ✔
Germany's
were learning
boat
German Wednesday dusk,
R.A.F. Losses:
It was the first time-during the Wan that German guns were thrown into action in the early morning hours, and the first. shells R.A.F. 1osses over the same caused a number of casualties as 24-hour period in which. 37 Luft- streams of German 'planes return- waffe planes were destroyed and cd to France after raiding, expedi- well over 100 airmen were killed, tions against British ports. One very heavy, armour, plerc wounded or captured, were two ing bomb burst immediately for-bombers and their crows and one ward of the funnel of the fighter, the pilot of which is safe Gnolsenau.
and unhurt.
Lit Up Whole Ship:
7
An equally heavy bomb was Three of the 12.Nazi fighters soon to burst. In the forspart of | destroyed yesterday fell. within the Scharnhorst and a large and seven minutes to Hurricana pilats. brilliant explosion which fol- of a Polish squadron, while Bri- Iswed silt up the whole ship. tish Spitfire pilots, accounted for Thuș R.A.F, 'bombers evidently seven more. Reuter ".
Exactly at midnight the Luft- waffe began pouring destruction. across the English, coast. By 2 a.m. they had struck at numer ous areas while concentrating on a «north-west alty,
For the seventh successive night, raiders visited shipping and manu- facturing contres on Merseyside.→→ International News Service,