Fire Alarms by Chen

Puzzle explanation

The message from extra letters in some clues’ wordplay was “chaff deployed; shade added Al grey”. The four normally clued entries were bomber planes and the occurrences of AL added to other entries represented aluminium chaff scattered to disguise their radar signatures. The planes and AL were all shaded the same colour (grey to approximate aluminium) so that the bombers could not be distinguished in the grid.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer (added letters) Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 SE(AL)ER SEER
5 HALIFAX (I in HALF) + AX
11 LACILY (CLASSI[C]ALLY − LASS) *
13 UP-CURRENTS (TURN [H]ER CUPS) *
15 LANCASTER (CLEANS TAR) *
16 NAOS SON < around A[A]
17 ELSE (s)EL[F]-SE(rvice)
19 KHAN K(orea) + H + [F]AN
24 DAMPENED (DEAD-EN[D] MP) *
25 EDEMA DE[E]M in EA
29 LAPEL LAP[P] + ELK − (too)K
30 STIRLING STIRRING with L for R
33 INTO (b)[L]IN(g) (i)T(’s) (h)O(t)
34 PAUA [O]P + AU + A
36 COURTESAN E in COURTS + AN[Y]
39 WELLINGTON WELL + IN + G + TON
42 MOSAIC (I in CAS[E] <) after MO
44 UNEDGES [D]UNS around EDGE
45 IDE(AL)S I’D + E(mulate) + S
Down
1 SW(AL)ED(AL)E WE’D in SE
2 AVON [S]AV(e) + ON
3 LEU U(nleas)[H] after LE
4 REC C[A]RE *
5 HAUT HA[D] + UT
6 (AL)READY RED around A + Y
7 ICENI I[E] + NICE *
8 FIN(AL)ES FINES(t)
9 (AL)TO T + (n)O(t)
12 H(ALAL)AS HAS
14 P(AL)E (AL)E PEE
18 ÉPÉE (EE + PE[A]) <
20 HEATH H + [D]EATH
21 NEGRITO (onli)NE GRI[D] TO(rmented)
22 AMENT(AL) AMENT
23 WAGGONERS WAG[E] + GONERS
26 D(AL)Í (mo)DI(st)
27 APPULSE APP + [D]ULSE
28 ASCONCE (COCO[A] BEANS) * − OB *
31 S(AL)AD SAD
35 AEON NOE[L] < after A
37 UGHS [G]USHING * − IN
38 SODA SO[R]A around D
40 TAI (I + [E]AT) <
41 NAE (K)NA(v)E(r)[Y]
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