BORDER CROSSED

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1940, Page 7

BORDER CROSSED

By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.

ITALIANS ENTER EGYPT HEAVY LOSS SUFFERED

Received 11 p.m. London, September 16. HEAVY losses have been inflicted on Italian troops which crossed the frontier in Egypt from Libya. It is not clear whether the invasion of Egypt proper has begun, though it is reported in official circles at Rome that the Italians hope to reach Alexandria in a minimum of one month and a maximum of two months. "Penetration of Italian forces into the desert area evacuated by the British continues," said a Cairo headquarters communique. "Camps are being $nstructed in the neighbourhood of Birnum, seven miles south of Sollum. The enemy has suffered a severe handling by aircraft and armoured fighting vehicles, and columns descending to the coastal plain at Halfaya suffered heavily from our artillery fire. While our casualties continue to be insignificant, the enemy is believed to have lost many men and vehicles. Another raider has been brought down oy anti-aircraft fire over Mersa Matruh. There is qothing to report on the other fronts." It was reaffirmed at Cairo to-day that Egypt will fight if the Italian threat develops into a planned invasion of Egypt.

An Italian communique stated "Italian advance forces crossed the EgyptianCyrenaican border and engaged the enemy in lively combat. Our planes bombed and machine-gunned the enemy from a low altitude." "In the western desert, where Italian bombers were active on the night of September 13, our bombers made a successful attack on concentrations of enemy motor transport in the Sollum area," said a Royal Air Force communique issued at Cairo. "Bombs in one case fell on vehicles, a number of which were hit. In another case bombs fell among troops and vehicles, a fire being started. In the Sudan enemy aircraft dropped bombs at Rhoryabis, south-east of Khartoum, . but no material damage was caused. Our aircraft made attacks on the Gura aerodrome, a direct hit being observed on a hangar and other buildings, and a number of intense fires were started. Our bombers again raided Assab." An earlier Royal Air Force communique issued at Cairo stated: "An S-79 aircraft was shot down by one of our fighters over the Mediterranean on September 11. "On September 12 aircraft of the South African Air Force raided aerodromes ln Central Abyssinia. At Gimma there was a direct hit on a hangar and fires broke out among the buildings, one Caproni aircraft being destroyed and another extensively damaged. At Sciascimanna the headquarters building was hit.' One Savola aircraft was destroyed and three others were damaged. A motor transport convoy was machine-gunned. From these operations one of our aircraft failed to return. "R.A.F. bombers raided Somaliland and Eritrea on September 13. At Ber-

bera bombs fell on the European quarter and at Assab there was a direct hit on the harbour jetty. The Gura and Asmara aerodromes were attacked and buildings were set on fire. Enemy fighters attempted to intercept without success. Another fire was started at Massawa." A Royal Air Force communique stated that ihe Boma seaplane base was attacked during a serles of raids on eastern Libya. Bombs fell in the anchorage and a large fire broke out on the jetty. Fires were visible 30 miles away. After bombing a transport concentration near' Didiomar, South African units raided Abyssinian aerodromes and started fires. British planes also raided Somaliland and Eritrea, scoring a direct hit on the jetty at Assab. They attacked the aerodromes at Gura and Asmara and started fires at Massawa. An Italian communique states: "Two Blenheims were shot down. We made a night raid at Valetta, the liydroplane base at Calaframa in Malta, scoring direct hits. We also bombed enemy naval formations in the eastern Mediterranean. Italian planes bombed a 10,000-ton British cruiser in the Indian Ocean. The cruiser was seen to proceed slowly, llsting heavily, "The British raided the entire sector between Asmara and Adiugri without result. They dropped incendiaries. A plantation was slightly damaged." A Rome communique yesterday stated: "We bombed and aerially torpedoed an enemy convoy of merchantmen in the eastern Mediterranean. A British ship was struck by an aerial torpedo. She heavily Usted and probably sank. Our bombers scored direct hits on merchantmen in another convoy and probablyhit a warship, which ceased to fire. .All our planes returned.",