HARASSING THE ITALIANS

Evening Star, Issue 23686, 20 September 1940, Page 7

HARASSING THE ITALIANS

British Naval Units in Action BOMBARDMENT AT CLOSE RANGE Enemy Consolidating New Positions (British Official Wireless.) Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, September 19. - (Received September 20, ‘ l t D4oam ) Details of the naval operations against the Italians in East ‘ Africa are contained in an Admiralty communique which reads: The initial report from the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean indicates that units of the Royal Navy continue to harry the northern flank of the Italian advance from Libya. On the night of September 17 one of our naval units bombarded the coast road to Solium at close range. Simultaneously other units attacked enemy concentrations at Sidi Barrani. The Corn-mander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean reports that both these bombardments'appear to have had considerable success. Benghazi was attacked by aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm on September 16. The Commander-in-Chief reports that during this attack one merchant ship was set on fire and one destroyer was probably sunk. Several other ships were damaged. Yesterday’s Italian communique admitted that a torpedo boat and a pontoon had been sunk and a few fires started at Benghazi. Concurrent with these operations off the Libyan coast, naval operations have been carried out in other areas. In the course of these operations no enemy naval forces'could be located. In the north-eastern Mediterranean one of our convoys and escort warships were several times unsuccessfully attacked by aircraft. To-day’s communique from headquarters in Cairo states that there is no change'in the situation in Egypt. The'enemy continues to consolidate his positions in the Sidi Barrani and Solium - areas. On the other fronts there is nothing to report.