NEW ORGANIZATION

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 284, 29 August 1942, Page 7

NEW ORGANIZATION

British Naval And Air Co-operation IMPORTANT STEPS IN MEDITERRANEAN

(Received August 28, 9.10 p.m.) ALEXANDRIA, August 27.

The establishment of a new organization to effect closer co-opera-tion between the air. surface and submarine forces in the Mediterranean was announced by Admiral Sir .Henry Harwood, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, in his first interview since he succeeeded Admiral Cunningham. He said that adequate air support for the British fleet was at present available for only a relatively short distance westward of Alexandria. Geography and air-power were the essence of the whole naval power in the Mediterranean- 1 ' The Axis air bases in Crete, Sicily, Greece and the Dodecanese and other islands and also along the Libyan coast seriously and continuously threatened the British fleet’s operations. Adequate air protection was essential for any successful normal operation, though there were times when it was necessary for warships to risk all to carry out vital The strong Allied air forces in the area would be unable fully to protect the fleet and simplify its work till the Allies took Cyrenaica, thus providing more forward aerodromes. Admiral Harwood expressed the opinion that the Axis Powers used air transports extensively as well as ships to reinforce Rommel. There was no way of knowing the quantities and types of Axis equipment and reinforcements reaching Egypt, but the Allied ships were continually cutting at the enemy’s supply lines. The Navy was also shelling the enemy shore positions when practicable. A Middle East communique states that there was nothing to report yesterday from the laud forces. There was small-scale air activity in the battle area, but our long-range fighters again successfully attacked enemy supply vehicles on the coastal road.