The Air Ministry, in giving these figures last night added; "many, other enemy aiteraft were. seen flamaged, and. some of these "were almost certainly destroyed. No figure given for these alreratt in accord ance with the usual practice. of the Air Ministry to mak no claim unless the destruction of the enemy alreratt inveertaln.
The. Ale Ministry then gives the revised monthly total of enemy alte trate destroyed at night during 104, together with. the. highest "figures january total 19. (ave on January aifsined in any one night, Thus the
16), that for February 18" (three on February 10), for March 47 "G3 on March 13), for April 90.3 on Aprit 4), for Mity, 14 (4 on May "D.
hose figures ne hide sueesses in offensive "operations over enemy Serodromes, The Air Ministry state Tent shows clearly. the, high" cost Germany in facing in continuing hee fitte"ralaing, both in" planes. and trained personnel should not be presumed how-that even lost! nights record lchioved four nights before the full moon, represents, even. yet ten per cent. of the raiding. force. Bilots new to night, fighting eon {tibuted to the might's success Many Pilots Lost The Luftwaffe has lost at toast 100 of Its airmen. The Anal fights of fame of them were described by the Victorious British airmen last night. Thus; "he spiralled down in flames and exploded on hitting the round fees wit burned in the air til the fuselage way only a skeleton. "after making a pancake landing, the bomber sanke into the sea."
"The weather over the North-west corner of France gave the aircraft of the RAF, Bomber Command a opportunity to make sure of doing effective damage to the battle crulsers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest It was disclosed last night.
"The attack was made with deliboration, The heavy armourplercing. bombs used had be dropped at a height which ensure penetration of the specially protected decks. "Some pilots used the alternative method of diving rapidly on the target so that the speed of the aircraft added momentum to the bomb.
One such dive way made from over 10,000 feet, and the whole crew of the aircraft was confident that the Gneisenau was. hit. Other cre claimed direct hits on both vessels. One very heavy armourpiereing bomb burst immediately forward of the funnel of the Gneisenau. An equally heavy bomb was seen to burst in the forepart of the Scharnhorst, and the forge brilliant explosion which fol-Towed lit up the whole ship.
Thus did the RAF. bombers evidently put paid to two of Germany's most formidable Atlantic sea raiders for some time, while the fighters at home were learning more of how to beat the Gi Blitz" raider—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.