NORTH AFRICA: The North-West African Airforce shot down 3,146 planes during 1943, it is learned here today [Jan 3]. It is estimated that an additional 246 aircraft were destroyed. The losses totalled 819 planes.

Despite bad weather, all categories of bombers and fighters of the strategic airforce flew 3,704 missions against targets including those in Italy, Southern Germany, France and the Balkans. The strategic airforce dropped over 74,000 tons of bombs on Axis targets up to midnight on December 31.

During the same period Fortresses, Libera­tors, Mitchells, Marauders, Wellingtons, Lightn­ings and Warhawks made more than 70,000 sonties. Before the Mediterranean became an Allied sea, the strategic airforce sank 101 ships — from Italian cruiser to German torpedo boats. Another 216 ships were serious damaged.

[Meanwhile, according to a report from Damascus,] “Mr Churchill is like a candle which is burning itself out to give light to the people of the world,” wrote the Syrian newspaper, Aleph Ba, when the bulletins of the British Prime Minister had begun to suggest his condition was improving...

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2019