EGYPTIAN THEATRE

Evening Star, Issue 24287, 31 August 1942, Page 4

EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SIGNS OF INCREASING ACTIVITY ENEMY TANKS BOMBED (British Official Wireless.) r - (Rec. 12.45 p.m.) RUGBY, Aug. 30. lr Air activity over the El Alamein area lias shown a gradual increase, particularly in night operations, during the past few days. Enemy concentrations of tanks and motor vehicles have been attacked, and medium bombers have made successful night attacks on numerous targets, including shipping and port installations at Tobruk, in which heavy bombers joined. Two ships and the docks were hit, and large fires started. Raids on enemy convoys in the Mediterranean have been continuous and successful. A large merchant vessel > was attacked off Crete and left burning r and moving at reduced speed. a An attack on a south-bound convoy g between Crete and Cyrenaica resulted 0 in the destruction of one vessel. y At least three enemy aircraft wore shot down in combats off the Egyptian '- coast. Naval aircraft attacked shipping t near Daba, and claimed to have sunk a U-boat. From all these operations 19 aircraft g aro missing, but two pilots are safe. } ENEMY LINES RAIDED e fc HEAVY ARTILLERY BARRAGE S s (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent.) 1 WESTERN DESERT, Aug. 29. ? Britisli troops, in a raiding expedi--3 tion, struck at the enemy last night. r lu a lightning attack the raiding party - invaded! the enemy’s lines with power- > fill artillery support and inflicted casualties. [ Tiie attack took place in the short r time between the fall of darkness and i the rising of the moon. The artillery - barrage made an amazing spectacle. i The sky behind our forward positions - was lighted by flash upon flash of gnn- - fire, while the area opposite, where the • shells were falling,, was like a violentlyl erupting volcano. The enemy was quick to retaliate, i and blazed away without pause for a , full hour. Flares shot up from the • enemy’s lines, and the vicious chatter of automatic weapons broke out from ' all directions. Our troops met with stubborn resistance from the Germans 1 in their weapon pits, but before the withdrawal had silenced a Humber of these and demolished machine-gun posts. The artillery during this time shelled the enemy’s positions at greater depth. The whole operation was carried out in quick time with every phase exact to the minute. TOBRUK RAIDED HITS ON ENEMY SHIPPING (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 29. A most successful raid on Tobruk was made on Friday night by R.A.F. medium and heavy bombers. Three, possibly four, hits were scored on ships along the main jetty, and two ships were set on fire. Bombs burst all along the port, causing a large fire, which was'visible from Solium. Other bombs fell on the waterfront near the naval fuel installations. One bomber came down and machine-gunned vehicles on the road. Another attacked Solium. Combined British and United States and naval air arm forces attacked the landing ground in , the Daba area. There were violent explosions and several small fires. In the battle area R.A.F. and naval , bombers made a raid in force. Bombs burst among transports and tanks, on four of which direct hits were made. ' RAID BY N.Z. TROOPS 1 ITALIAN LOSSES HEAVY i CAIRO, August 29. } It is believed that the New Zea- c landers in their raid against the j, Italians, who occupied a strong position off the western end of the Ruwei- , sat Ridge, killed and wounded 250 enemy troops. The New Zealanders crept forward under cover of a heavy artillery barrage, which opened the way through the enemy minefield and wire entanglements, and then stormed . the enemy’s slit trenches. PATROL OPERATIONS i SUCCESSES IN THE AIR jJ * W (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, Aug. 30. s' A Cairo communique states: During a patrol operations on the night of August 28 enemy machine-gun posts on tl the central sector were raided and n casualties inflicted. Yesterday there was w nothing to report from our land forces. c< Air activity in the battle area is con- ft fined to the attacking of enemy vehicles b; by our fighter bombers. At least three a] enemy fighters were shot down and others damaged in an action over Bri- L tish naval units. hi