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Enemy Air Losses
It is disclosed that the great onslaught against the
Axis air' lifeline between Sicily and Tunisia, which the
Americans describe as a massacre, continued yesterday,
-when ten more Junkers 52's and a Messerschmitt fighter
were shot down. These, with the 58 transports and 16
fighters brought down the previous day, makes the two
days total over the Sicilian Straits 68 transports and 17
fighters, or 85 planes destroyed with thirty or more
damaged.
This, however, is not the full
story of the North African air
force's successes, : because the
planes destroyed over the for
ward areas,. over Algiers and else
where bring the two-day total to
97. Moreover, with the destruc
tion over the Sicilian Straits in
the last two days the Allied air
forces within a fortnight have
brought down 159 great German
transports.
' An earlv message from Algiers
suggested that the latest trans
port planes : brought down may
have - been' " unloaded, ' but the
British' United Press correspon
dent v Cairo declared that it
was reliably reported ' that . the
transports appeared to be carry
ing troops. It Is believed that-
it Is possible they were evacuat
ing key personnel. ;
The Associated Press of
America correspondent, at - Algiers
says definitely that the trans
ports were carrying troops, and |
adds: — "Whether this :1s . the "be- i
ginning of a > large scale effort by
Rommel to evacuate his army Is
not yet clear."
According , to the German-
controlled Scandinavian- News
Agencv Rome reports, that violent
fighting Is going ,on in the
British destroyers are attacking
Tunisia-bound Axis convoys.
According to the special cor
respondent of the "New York
Times" several French . divisions
in North Africa have received
the latest American equipment,
including Sherman tanks, 90
mm. anti-aircraft guns, three-
inch anti-tank guns and tank
destroyers. Many more Infantry
divisions will be equipped with
the most modern equipment, In |
addition to a large armored force.
For the first time in this war i
the French army is now able to
meet the Germans on equal or
better terms.
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