R.A.F. IN MIDDLE EAST

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 107, 1 November 1940, Page 7

R.A.F. IN MIDDLE EAST

OBJECTIVES HIT

BIG FIRES STARTED

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received November 1, .1 p.m.)

RUGBY, October 31

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force raided Bardia and Tobruk, in Libya, yesterday, says the Air Ministry news service. At Bardia an attack was made on a stores dump and many bombs were seen to hit the target, starting a large fire, -which was visible for 30 miles, and completely destroying the dump. At Tobruk bombs fell in the target area.

A raid on Techlezan, in Eritrea, resulted in a number of fires being started among military buildings, while at Massawa warehouses were heavily bombed. A military camp and a railway compound at Keren, in Eritrea, were also raided. Bombs were dropped on the camp, and the railway compound was straddled uy bombs, causing considerable damage.

Aircraft of the South African Air Force attacked a military camp at Lugh-Ferandi, in Italian Somaliland, on October 29. Bombs were dropped among buildings in the target area.

Other units of the South African Air Force carried out a number of reconnaissance flights over enemy territory.

Other reconnaissance flights were carried out by the R.A.F. over Greek and Italian coastal waters. During one of these flights a seaplane was encountered and shot down in flames.

From all these operations all the British aircraft returned safely to their respective bases.

A Cairo communique states, "There is nothing to report in Egypt, Kenya, and Palestine. Our fighting patrols were again active in the Kassala area, in the Sudan, on October 27-28. A party of the enemy was successfully ambushed, leaving fifteen dead and six prisoners, while two mechanical transport vehicles were destroyed. Our casualties were nil."

.An R.A.F. communique records a widespread series of raids against Italian bases and aerodromes in Libya. Attacks were made on Derna, Tmimi, Gazala, Tobruk, El Aden, Menastir, and Sollum. High-explosive bombs at Derna fell near a number of ships and probably caused considerable damage. Two large fires were started on the landing ground at Sollum. Bombs fell among aircraft on the ground at Menastir,