TOBRUK RAIDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24403, 14 September 1940, Page 11

TOBRUK RAIDED

DEVASTATING EFFECT HARBOUR RENDERED USELESS MANY VESSELS SUNK (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph -Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 12. The Times says combined operations of the R.A.F. and the Fleet Air Arm have rendered Tobruk utterly useless foi supplying Italian troops The harboui has been cleared of crowded shipping, including five submarines, of which at least one Was sunk. The harbour is now. littered ; with ships sunk.or lying drunkenly on their Jdes There is no news from British sources with regard to- the Italian claims that the invasion of Egypt has been begun. A headquarters communique issued in Cairo states that Khartum was bombed yesterday There was no damage and there were no casualties All is quiet in Kenya A Royal Ail Force communique states: " Oui bombers yesterday launched a series of raids against Libya, starting foui fires al Amseat and bombing the landing ground at Derna the bomb;- fallinr among aircraft Two large fires broke out in the harboui and jetty at Derna Several fires were started at Bardia The enemy tried to bomb Mersa Matruh and suffeied l high proportion of losses Four Savoias were destroyed The South African Air Force bombed Sciasciamanna, in Central Abyssinia, and destroyed one plane and damaged four." The -Cairo correspondent of The Times says that the R.A.F.. the South African Air Force, the Rhodesian Squadron, ant French units haye carried out over 250 successful bombing raids in the last three months, in which the R.A.F Middle East fighters and reconnaissance machines have flown over 2,500.000 miles. Italians Claim Success An Italian communique issued in Rome states: "We bombed by day and night the railway along the Egyptian coast and enemy encampments at Solium and Sidi Barrani, causing fires and explosions. We machine-gunned enemy armoured units. The British ineffectively tried to raid Derna We destroyed a Blenheim bomber and probably another. One of oui planes has not returned. We sank two enemy destroyers off Aden on September I. Italian planes bombed the Khartum airport, the Hayia railway junction, and the l Atbara airport. All our planes returned. " The British attempted to attack the Kassala bridgehead, but the Italian guns suit them back after an hour's engagement. Another enemy attack, made at Cherilli, was also repulsed. The enemy bombed Assab and Cachaman, south from Addis Ababa, causing slight damage. An enemy plane was shot down. Enemy planes attempted to raid the Massawa naval base and dropped bombs in the sea. Two raiders were destroyed at Dessye. On September 9 an Italian submarine sank 27,000 tons of enemy shipping in the Atlantic."